July 2, 2025 • 57 mins
On FOCAL POINT:
- Roslyn Sackley (Aunty Ros) has received an honorary doctorate for her lifelong contribution and advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and disability rights.
- Mia Gardiner, from Crime Stoppers Victoria, spoke about their current campaign to raise awareness and help stop wildlife crime.
- Jordie Howell is this year's winner of the Diana Braun Aspirations Award from Blind Citizens Australia National Women's Branch.
- Kaela Graham-Bowen spoke about Sarcoma awareness month. Kaela, who has been diagnosed with sarcoma, is an amazing Advocate and provides peer support. find out more about Kaela and Kaela's work on Instagram at SORAREITY
Resources:
Crimestoppers Victoria: http://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Blind Citizens Australia National Women's Branch: https://www.bca.org.au/branches/national-womens-branch
Kaela's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sorarity/?hl=en
Australia New Zealand Sarcoma Association: http://www.sarcoma.org.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:24):
Good evening and welcome to Focal Point here on Vision
Australia Radio 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide, online at VA radio,
VA Radio Digital and Adelaide to Darwin through the Community
Radio Plus app. Look for Vision Australia, Radio Adelaide as
well as your favorite podcast or streaming service and the
Reading Radio Network. Peter Greco on behalf of Phillip Vampire,
(00:47):
saying thank you so much for making time to tune
in this program coming to you from Gardener Land. Come
to you very shortly. We'll speak to Aunty Roz, Ross
and Sackley, who has just been recognised with an honorary
doctorate from the University of Sydney, will chat to Ross
about that. So catch up with Mia Gardener from Crime
Stoppers Victoria. Mia's topic is wildlife crime. Very very interesting.
(01:12):
We'll chat to Mir very soon. We'll catch up with
this year's winner of the Diana Braun Aspirations Award from
the National Women's Branch from blind, Sydney, Australia. A very,
very worthy winner. I look forward to chatting to that
particular person very, very soon. And then we'll catch up
with Kaila Graham Byron, who will talk to us about
(01:32):
Sarcoma Awareness Week. Kaila was diagnosed with sarcoma. We'll chat
about a bit about Kayla's journey and also how she's
going at the moment, and a chance maybe to raise
some funds and awareness about sarcoma. If you're listening through
1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide at 8:00 for your listening pleasure.
Lizzy and Sam here with Studio one. In fact, they're
(01:55):
here right now to tell us what's on Studio One.
S2 (01:59):
With the much vaunted changes to the one three Cabs app.
Has it really made any difference?
S3 (02:04):
We're joined by Kelly Schultz from Knowable Me to pick
apart reality from spin, good intentions from pragmatism and ask
where we go from here.
S2 (02:14):
So join us at eight for Studio one.
S1 (02:19):
Well, some really wonderful news for a person that we've
got to know quite well over the years. Roslyn Sackley
has just been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University
of Sydney. And it's great to welcome Roslyn or as
some people call her, Aunty Ros to the program. Roslyn,
thanks so much for your time and congratulations.
S4 (02:37):
Thank you.
S1 (02:37):
Peter, how did you receive this news? How did you
feel about it when you were told?
S4 (02:42):
Well, actually it was back in December because, you know,
like if she should take a while to get things
in the pipeline. So but I received it on the
1st of May.
S1 (02:54):
And how did you feel about it? What was your
kind of initial reaction?
S4 (02:57):
Well, I had an idea that I was still quite,
you know, until it actually happened on the day. It
was quite weird. I felt quite, you know, strange.
S1 (03:10):
Drain. Yeah. Emeritus Professor Alan Pettigrew said some lovely things
about you. That must be nice when you know someone
of that ilk, if you, like, says nice things about you.
That kind of count carries a lot more weight.
S4 (03:22):
Yes, yes. It was an amazing day, the 1st of
May and all the lovely words. And then I was
dressed up, of course, in my gown and everything, and
I had. Yeah, it was very unusual. I like to
be casual normally. And I also had an Aboriginal doll,
(03:42):
you know, it goes over your shoulders. Yeah. And it
had the Aboriginal colour. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. It was beautiful.
The best part of it really was I had all
these lovely guests that I could invite.
S1 (03:55):
Well, it's great to share moments like that with special people,
isn't it?
S4 (03:59):
Yes it is. And I had about 12 guests all together. Mhm.
And some of them were families. Some of them were
friends I'd made through various universities I've worked at and
friends that I've known, you know, through my childhood and everything.
So I wanted it to be a big mixture. So yeah.
(04:19):
And that was really, really, you know, because I hadn't
met before, of course. So it was an amazing day.
S1 (04:27):
Yeah. Now, are you recognized for your work in advocacy
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the area of
health and disability? And I was thinking kind of health
and disability, particularly in the indigenous community. It's kind of interrelated,
isn't it? A number of issues that lead to bad
health could also lead to disability.
S4 (04:46):
Oh, look, I could have you listening to me for
three days. If it's a massive, massive, it's a massive,
massive topic. So I don't know, I can't really go
back to the history of it. And it's still very,
quite alarming really. But things are changing very slowly.
S1 (05:08):
Yeah, well, it's people like you that are making a difference.
And I noticed with Emeritus Professor Alan Pettigrew, he talked
about the impact you've had on the students and the staff.
So it's not just the students that are kind of
being educated, but the staff. So again, that's such a
powerful message.
S4 (05:24):
Well, you know very well that there's always accessibility, you know,
things that you need to alert, alert staff and students about.
And then such a huge institution as Sydney Uni, it's
just massive you know. Yes. Websites. Even though, you know,
(05:45):
people try to work on them are still huge. And
unfortunately there's still a lot of inaccessibility.
S1 (05:52):
Ross. Where does it start for you? Where does this
kind of sense of social justice, this ability to advocate
so well? How did that sort of happen for you?
Was there a person or a thing that kind of
set you on that path?
S4 (06:05):
Oh, no, I think I listen a lot. I listen
to lots of stuff on the radio, lots of podcasts,
lots of. And I cannot remember the angel that gave
me my first transistor radio.
S1 (06:21):
Okay.
S4 (06:22):
I cannot remember their name. And, you know, while I
was at boarding school and I, they may not be
around anymore, but a real angel, that kind of really
set me free. I was listening to plays, stories, news,
you know, music. But even after that, you know, just
(06:44):
talking to people. And then I joined BCA and I'm very,
very interested in cross-disability issues as well. And so I've
got a, you know, fairly wide well appreciation of how
things should be and how things need to be in
the future, but aren't quite there yet.
S1 (07:05):
I'm smiling to myself. Right. Because you talked about, you know,
as a young person getting a transistor radio and the
impact that's had on your life. And what about now,
the work that you're doing at university with staff and students?
You're kind of influencing them. So in a sense, it's
kind of going full circle or it just keeps going.
(07:25):
That sort of link.
S4 (07:26):
Yes. Well, I have all my Bluetooth technology now and
which I really appreciate.
S1 (07:32):
It certainly can make a difference technology can't it? I
guess it's one of those things that can kind of
bridge that gap or, you know, that gap gets accentuated
depending on as you kind of touched on earlier, how
accessible things can be.
S4 (07:45):
Well, I'm very lucky to be working in a wonderful,
supportive team and things that we can't manage. We work out,
you know, together. So, you know, it's just you have
to be able to work in the system to some extent.
But I have to admit, I can't do everything.
S1 (08:04):
But I think it's alright to admit that you can't
do everything or kind of acknowledge it, because who can?
I mean, none of us can really, if we're really
truth to ourselves. None of us can really do it
on our own. We all need people in some way,
shape or form to kind of help or support us.
That's kind of what makes society tick.
S4 (08:24):
Yes, that's right. And I work in a really wonderful team,
so we're very supportive of each other.
S1 (08:31):
What about as far as the future goes? You kind
of touched on it again, but I know there's a
lot of work to do, but do you have a
little bit of hope that, you know, things are on
the improve and as time goes on, we're kind of
getting better at this sort of stuff, maybe resolving some
issues and sort of working together better.
S4 (08:51):
Oh yeah, I'm going to work as long as I
can in as many fields as I can. I'm not retiring.
I am, you know, as long as my health, life,
I'll be I'll be out there.
S1 (09:02):
Happy because that's important as well.
S4 (09:04):
I think it's a real danger if people are thinking
that they're old and they're, you know, can't do, you know, whatever. Yes.
You've got to, you know, tweak some things sometimes. But
as long as your health works, it's heaps of things
to work on.
S1 (09:18):
And it doesn't matter whether you're being paid the big
bucks or whether it's like a regular full time job.
We could all kind of be advocates in our own
unique ways.
S4 (09:28):
Oh, definitely. Yeah, I agree. Teaching isn't a field or
a specialty casualty where you're not, you know, it's not massive,
but you have to be a good budgeter. And if
you can just keep working.
S1 (09:44):
You know, it's kind of interesting. We talked about the
fact that the influence that you're having on your students,
they're probably taking things away from the things you're saying
to them at the moment, that they're learning from you
at the moment. And it might be ten or 20
or 30 years time that something that you said will
come back and kind of, you know, resonate with them.
(10:06):
It's not just what you're doing today. It's the impact
that it can have going forward that I think is
the really powerful thing about recognition like you've received.
S4 (10:14):
Yes, I am very, very proud of it, and I
certainly did not expect it or will never, you know,
say that I, I did expect it. It's something that's
the wonderful team I work with and lots of them
I've known for the many, many years.
S1 (10:31):
He talked about the 12 or so special people that
were there for the event. What about since then? I'm
sure that you would have received congratulations and maybe heard
from people that you know you might not have expected
to hear from. I noticed that the Canberra Blind Society
put up a lovely, lovely post about you.
S4 (10:50):
Yes, I lived in Canberra for many years and I'm
still in touch with them. And you know, I really
value that society can be blindsided and really, really, really
get upset if the smaller society gets, you know, have
to leave the scene. I think, you know, for choice,
(11:12):
for people's choice and for people's, you know, in their
own locality. We should have more not huge organizations. I
really enjoy the smaller organizations.
S1 (11:25):
Well, they kind of know their members or they know
the people that they're delivering services to. Probably better. You're
kind of, you know, not not caught up in a
big pond. You're kind of a bit more relatable, if
I can put it that way. Some of those quote unquote,
smaller organizations.
S4 (11:40):
Yeah. In general, you know, I'm not a huge fan
of bureaucracy. Yeah. You know, so I just stay on
the fringes and do what I can.
S1 (11:50):
Now, what about the the day itself though? Was there
one particular highlight, or were you painted a lovely picture
of your gown and your indigenous clothing as well. That
kind of touch of both the the tradition and the tradition,
if I can put it that way. Was there one
particular moment that stood out for you?
S4 (12:06):
Well, a very, very special, special thing happened. I have
Guide Dog. She received a certificate as well.
S1 (12:17):
That says it all, doesn't.
S4 (12:18):
It? So beautiful. Yes. That's it.
S1 (12:22):
What's your dog's name?
S4 (12:23):
That's. Brooklyn.
S1 (12:24):
Brooklyn.
S4 (12:26):
Brooklyn.
S1 (12:26):
That's a lovely.
S4 (12:27):
Name. He received a certificate as well. And so, you know,
Professor Pettigrew presented that to us as well. And my
great supporter, John Gilroy, professor, he was there. He read
out the citation and everything. And, you know, at the bottom. Yes,
(12:48):
I did hear from people that I haven't heard from,
but I've really, really kept media at a very limits.
S1 (12:55):
Well, I'm glad you've spoken to us for us. Because
that that means a lot to me. I've known you
a long time and you've always been very accessible. And
more importantly, you've always been quick to sort of say, look,
don't worry about speaking to me. Speak to this person
or that person. You're very good at delegating or sharing
the the limelight. So I really thank you for that.
I congratulate you again. Thank you so much for speaking
(13:17):
to us and we wish you well. Keep up the
great work. The world is a much better place for
a person like you.
S4 (13:23):
Oh, thank you very much, Peter. And I hope I can,
you know, get people to realise that they don't have
to give up. They can, you know, advocate for whatever
it is that's important to them.
S1 (13:35):
The lovely note to end on. All the best, Rosalind.
S4 (13:38):
Thank you. Thanks very much.
S1 (13:40):
That's aunty Roswell. Now, Doctor Rosalind Thackery with their doctorate
from the University of Sydney. So well done to Rosalind.
And certainly a very powerful message. And long may Rosalind continue.
Always great to catch up with Mia Gardner from Crime
Stoppers Victoria. One reason is because she's great to talk to.
(14:03):
Another reason is that interesting topics. Mia. Welcome back.
S5 (14:06):
Hi, Peter. Thanks for having me again.
S1 (14:08):
Wildlife crime?
S5 (14:10):
Yes. Wildlife crime. We've been focusing on that for the
last month here at Crime Stoppers. And we actually do
quite a bit of work, which probably surprises some people
when they think of Crime Stoppers. Maybe they don't think
of wildlife crime. But we do take reports on on
wildlife crime. And we're focusing mainly at the moment on
native wildlife crime. And when people think about that as well,
(14:32):
they think just animal cruelty, which is, yes, definitely a
big part of what wildlife crime is. It's shooting, you know,
mutilating native animals. But it's also illegal hunting, also keeping
and selling any protected species without authorization and also damaging
and destroying habitats. So what that could be could even
be illegal tree felling and selling the wood for firewood.
(14:56):
There can be, you know, the illegal cases of this happening,
but we have three cases at the moment. One recent
case involved a possum that was shot with a BB gun,
a kangaroo that was found decapitated and birds attacked with
a nail gun. And because lots of these types of
crimes do go unreported, because they're happening in places like bushland,
(15:18):
reserves or farms, and these places don't often have witnesses.
But someone, somewhere might know something. So we're sort of
asking the community, do you know anything about these particular cases?
Because we want to hold those responsible to account. You know,
people like this need to be accountable for what they've done.
And these are pretty abhorrent crimes. And you'd want someone
(15:41):
who has done something like this to face the consequences.
S1 (15:44):
I guess the first thing, in a sense, to point
out is that these are actually crimes, and they're punishable
with fairly severe repercussions, aren't they?
S5 (15:52):
Absolutely. So there is a whole act that protects our wildlife.
It's Victoria's Wildlife Act 1975. And so there are so
many things that fall under this. But even actions that
seem harmless, things like feeding animals, native animals in the wild,
or moving an animal from one location to another. So
that could even be a possum from your garden to,
(16:14):
you know, the forest or the Dandenong Ranges or wherever,
wherever it may be. These can actually be breaking the
law because they do cause harm to animals. For example,
you know, interfering with a breeding site like disturbing a
hooded plover during nesting season, disturbing one of their nesting
sites can have really long term effects on endangered species,
(16:35):
because we've got a lot of protected and endangered species
in Victoria. But in saying that, we're so lucky to
have such a unique, you know, wildlife and ecosystem here
that it needs to be protected. And that's why penalties
are what they are. So in Victoria, harming or illegally
possessing wildlife can carry fines of up to $46,154 or
(16:57):
even two years of prison. So these aren't, you know,
small consequences or small repercussions. They're big, and they represent
the type of crime that's being committed, which is a
really horrible and cruel crime.
S1 (17:08):
One of the interesting things you touched on before me
was the fact that, you know, some of these things
do kind of happen literally out of sight. So, eh,
I guess it's hard to find witnesses and B, you know,
it's hard to kind of prove anything. So that doesn't
make it any less important for people to, um, you know,
to speak up or report if they feel something's not
(17:28):
quite right.
S5 (17:29):
Exactly. And wildlife crime, it does have really wide reaching consequences. So,
you know, when an animal is illegally harmed, hunted or displaced,
it can do so much. It can disrupt food chains,
affect species survival and damage biodiversity. And for example, you know,
the illegal killing of a ringtail possum like the one
that we're dealing with at the moment, this unsolved case.
(17:51):
This possum had two joeys. One of them escaped, and
then one had to be taken and is now sort
of being rehabilitated. So it affects their young and their predators. But,
you know, the health of the environment and maybe the
sort of health of that population in the sense that
it might deplete their numbers. And over time, this obviously
can lead to population decline, ecosystem imbalance, and really, tragically,
(18:15):
the loss of, you know, unique species in Victoria, which
is something that we should be so grateful because we're
so lucky to have. And so when it comes to
speaking up about these things, whether you think, you know
it's something small, it might not mean anything. I just
saw someone walking in that sort of that bushland with
a with a plastic container. I don't think it means anything.
(18:37):
It might. And that's the thing, will be the judge
of that. So report it to Crime Stoppers whether you
think it's important or not. And we can definitely have
a look into it. And we pass all of these
reports onto the conservation regulator. We work with them because
they're sort of the leading organisation when it comes to
wildlife crime in Victoria. So they are the ones that
(18:58):
go in, they investigate these crimes, but they can't do
it without the community and the help from the community
because they can't be everywhere at once.
S1 (19:06):
It's such an important point you make to about the ecology,
isn't it? Because you might think, oh, that's no big deal.
You know, cutting down that tree or doing harm to
that animal. I mean, that could decapitate a kangaroo is
beyond me. But, you know, it's a story for another day,
I guess. But, you know, it is the fact that
it puts the whole ecosystem out of balance, which can
lead to other bad things happening or, you know, the
whole thing sort of going skew whiff, as it were.
S5 (19:29):
Exactly. And I think another reason why maybe it goes
unreported or underreported is because people don't even know what
they're looking for. They don't know what wildlife crime looks like.
I think they're imagining, you know, one clear idea, which
is animal cruelty. And while, yes, this is a crime
and this constitutes as wildlife crime, there are other signs
(19:49):
to look for. So even like injured wildlife with unexplained wounds,
this would be like the decapitated kangaroo or suspicious behaviour
in Bushlands or parks. This is sort of what I
mentioned before, which is people carrying cages, maybe even Tupperware and,
you know, people carrying weapons when maybe they shouldn't be.
And you could see maybe if you're scrolling online, you
(20:11):
see some animals being sold online are native animals can't
be can't be sold online or people interfering with nests, burrows,
or even marine animals. Maybe there's a boat too close
to a whale, and there are lots of regulations when
it comes to this as well. So if you are
seeing things like this happen, things like vehicle registrations, you
can report to us. Even an overheard conversation could be
(20:34):
useful and you can put photos, CCTV, everything when it
comes to your report, which could also be anonymous.
S1 (20:41):
That's a great point you were making there. Like as
to where these things are happening, like you say, it
could even be, you know, off the coastline as well. Can't.
It's not just sort of in the, in the bush.
S5 (20:51):
Absolutely. It can be. This can happen everywhere. And as
you as we were saying as well, it often happens
in isolation. But the thing is, you know, whether you're
on a farm and, you know, you can hear gunshots
from your neighbour's property and you know that maybe it's
not within a culling season or you know that you
hear that there's a bird been killed nearby that's been
(21:11):
it's endangered. And they're looking for who did it. And
you heard gunshots the day before. These are small details,
but they could be the thing that puts that puzzle
together and helps them find who's responsible.
S1 (21:22):
Mia, I know you're not a criminologist, but like, some
of this, I'm assuming, might be just people being cruel
for the sake of it again. Why do you want
to do that? I don't know, but with some of
this stuff, there's probably money at the end of it.
There's sort of illegal trade and that sort of thing
that goes on as well.
S5 (21:37):
Absolutely. And you know what motivates someone to commit something
like this? Sometimes, you know, you don't even want to
know because they're just, you know, pure acts of cruelty
or even thrill seeking, but it could be to profit
from the illegal pet trade or black market wildlife sales.
You know, some people may simply be unaware, though, that
their actions are illegal or, you know, breaking the law.
(21:59):
So that could be, like I said, disturbing marine animals.
You don't know, you can't go that close. You get
excited because you're experiencing a whale at such a close distance.
And it's something that's very, you know, exciting maybe to
be that close. But that's illegal because it can disrupt
their movements. But it could even be removing a Joey
from the wild. Maybe someone thinks, oh, that's a cute animal.
(22:20):
I'm gonna have that as a pet, but that's actually illegal.
And so what we're trying to do is raise awareness
through these campaigns. Um, the one that we've got at
the moment is called Wildlife crime. It's your call because
we want to help shift attitudes by educating the public
on what wildlife crime actually looks like, because it's hard
to know whether or not you're allowed to do something.
(22:41):
And once you know it, that's when you know you
make sure you're not doing it. it. You're not harming
any animals even without meaning to, and you're not committing
any crimes. You're also then therefore more aware of what
wildlife crime looks like in case you see it occurring.
But a lot of the time, feedback is that they are.
I didn't realize that this wasn't allowed and now I
won't do it again. But it's better if we know
(23:02):
before we do anything and before we make the mistakes.
That might have really horrible impacts on our wildlife.
S1 (23:07):
Now interesting lot is some of the information you sent
through to me was, you know, if you think you
overhear something, then report that as well. I mean, that's
so true. I mean, something we might think, oh, I'm
not sure if that's important. Someone who's, um, a very
skilled in this area can really get a lot from,
you know, a bit of information like that.
S5 (23:25):
Absolutely. It might be, like I said, that missing piece
in the puzzle, and we've actually already had successful outcomes
with reports to Crime Stoppers. We've had, you know, there
was an infringement given to someone that was too close
to a whale. There was also someone who intentionally drove
over a hooded plover nesting site and they were given
(23:47):
an infringement as well. So these things, your information can
help and it does. And it has. So if you
do see something, don't ignore it. You can tell Crime
Stoppers what you know and you can do so anonymously.
Every report helps. And we've seen this work and we're
just hoping that more people come forward and we can
help these unsolved cases, you know, help find a resolution here.
S1 (24:11):
We'll give you contact details in a second. Before we
wrap up. I guess, as you say, you're from Crime
Stoppers Victoria, but some of this sort of stuff that
could be sort of interstate, uh, um, you know, smuggling
going on as well, people maybe trying to take animals or, uh,
wildlife from one part of Australia to another as well.
That sort of thing could be going on as well.
S5 (24:30):
Absolutely. There is so much of that happening, and a
lot of the time it's in really cruel and inhumane
conditions that animals get smuggled. I mean, sometimes they're even
going offshore. They're going to, you know, different countries because
things that we think are just run of the mill
animals are unique overseas. For example, you know, a blue
(24:52):
tongue lizard is something that's very popular as a pet overseas.
And they're often stolen from the wild taken. And that's
when you'll see people carrying, you know, tubs and Tupperware
with little holes in it or even cages and, and bowls.
And then they're put into a package and sent in
the mail with, you know, a lot of them dying
in the transit, but, you know, just a few surviving,
(25:14):
and that's enough for them to make a profit. So
it's really cruel and inhumane, these, these conditions. And so
if we know of something like this is happening, say
something because it's yeah, a really horrible, horrible industry.
S1 (25:27):
Well, if we finish up where we started off, I mean,
you know, crime against wildlife, it is punishable with a
very severe penalty. So people should be aware of that.
I mean, if you're if you're doing it and you're
not aware of it, well, I guess, you know, maybe
we cut you a bit of slack there, but if
you're doing it intentionally, you could be in big trouble
by financially or indeed losing your, um. Yeah, you're right
(25:49):
to be in the society for a little while.
S5 (25:51):
Yeah. And I think, you know, the best thing to
do would be go do your research, understand what is
and is not allowed. There's lots of laws when it
comes to even walking your dog. If your dog off
leash attacks another animal, you can be facing some serious fines.
So know what the laws are just to make sure
that you're not breaking anything and you're not going to
end up with a hefty fine.
S1 (26:11):
Alright, now if people do want to find out more,
maybe you've heard something or your neighbor said something, or
you thought you heard something from someone around the place,
maybe you're out in the country, uh, enjoying some, uh,
nice fresh air and and something didn't appear as it should.
How can we get in touch? How can we report anything?
That might be a little bit, uh, not quite right.
S5 (26:30):
Well, you can make an online report at crimestopperswa.com.au. When
you're making an online report, you can upload any supporting documents,
whether it be Photos, videos, screenshots. But you can also
call one 800. 333, 000.
S1 (26:45):
Mayor, good to talk to you. In the sense it's
a little bit disturbing that we have to talk about
a topic like this, but I guess if we don't
raise the awareness then, you know, more bad things can happen.
I think there's an old saying, isn't it? Bad things
happen when good people do nothing. So if you're a
good person and most of us love animals, and even
if we don't love animals, we certainly don't want to
be cruel to animals. We can act and maybe just
(27:06):
make the the wildlife a little bit safer and a
little bit better for for us now and also for
our kids and grandkids in the future.
S5 (27:12):
Absolutely. I hope that some people have taken away a
little bit of information, and they can pass it on
to their friends and their family. Maybe they've got an
avid camper in the group that's often out and around wildlife.
It's always good to have this information. If you are
someone like that who's going to maybe be in and
amongst it. So yeah. Share this information, have a look
at our website and learn a little bit more.
S1 (27:33):
School holidays happening in lots of parts of Australia at
the moment as well. So more people out and about. Mayor,
great to catch up. We'll speak again next month.
S5 (27:40):
Thanks so much. I'll speak then to me.
S1 (27:43):
A guy there from Crime Stoppers at one 800, 333, 000,
Crime Stoppers. Com.au all those details up with our show notes.
You're listening to Focal.
S6 (27:54):
Point on Vision Australia Radio on VA radio digital and
online at Radio.com. Hope you're enjoying the program.
S1 (28:03):
Well, this year's diner brought Aspiration Award winner has been
announced and great news and deserving news. The winner is
Geordie Howell. Geordie, welcome and congratulations.
S7 (28:13):
Thanks so much Peter. I was really humbled to receive
this really fantastic special award.
S1 (28:18):
Geordie, I'm thinking that you probably appreciate this as much
as any, because we've got to know you over the
years and you've kind of got a great appreciation of
some of the history of not just BCA, but some
of the people that have gone before you in terms
of their advocacy and just their role model, uh, stuff
that they've done.
S7 (28:35):
Certainly I have, and I can think of when I
was president of the National Women's Branch in the early
mid 2002, of those women who, you know, happily still
with us are Christine Simpson, who has who received the
Aspirations award, as did Joan Heckman, um, to, you know,
pioneers in, uh, women in, in leadership in various forms.
S1 (28:57):
Yeah. And I guess, uh, you've kind of carried on
as far as that, uh, lineage goes, if you like.
Tell us a bit about your early days, because we're
having a quick chat before coming around. I remember the
first interview we did. You were saying with your dad.
I remember talking to you about that. I can't remember
how I found out about you, but it was good
that we did. And kind of followed your progress ever since.
Tell us a bit about your early days, and particularly
(29:18):
as far as kind of growing up goes and whether
you went to a conventional school, that sort of thing.
S7 (29:22):
Yeah, I remember that interview really fondly, actually. I started
school at the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind Vibe,
and I then progressed in grade three. I was integrated
into a Catholic primary school in in Melbourne and then
to a Catholic girls school, also in Melbourne. Avila Secondary
College and really enjoyed my time there particularly. It was
(29:45):
quite a strong school in music, which was I guess
I'd already been studying piano and started, I guess in
year seven, attending the National Braille music camps. I joined
various choirs at school, and from there I really grew
to be very passionate and have a love of singing.
So continued that throughout secondary school and as you alluded
(30:07):
to in that sort of 12, 13, 14 age, I
began sailing with my dad and had a really special
memories of dad sailing, particularly in regattas for the vision
impaired sailing, and also participated in the World Blind Sailing
Championship in Perth back in 1994 when I was 14
(30:28):
or so. That was so fun. After school I attended
Monash University where I studied a Bachelor of Music, majoring
in classical voice. And, um, since then I've taught Braille
and held another number of positions, I guess transcribing music
into Braille through with Vision Australia, which I still do today.
I've taught braille to adults. Um, I guess Braille and
(30:50):
music have been strong things in my life, uh, consistently
throughout my, my life.
S1 (30:56):
Going back to those early days, particularly with the integrating
into into mainstream school and also being good at music.
Do you think that kind of helped as far as
break down any barriers go? Because, you know, your fellow students,
I'm thinking, probably saw you more as a musician rather
than a person who's blind, if you know what I mean.
S7 (31:13):
Yeah, I think in primary school I struggled a bit,
particularly grade five, grade six with, um, feeling, you know, different.
I guess we've all, as blind people have when you're
in a sea of sighted people and you're the only
blind person, it's really hard to find the common links.
So in secondary school, I definitely yeah, made friends with
the musicians and, um, in at lunchtimes. I could be
(31:35):
found in practice rooms, accompanying other students on the piano
and and singing and finding the fellow music geeks and
language geeks. I enjoyed Italian and different different languages as well.
So yeah, that was much easier to cope in secondary
school when I found my crowd.
S1 (31:51):
Because, I mean, you're very engaging, vivacious, you've got a
great personality about you, so it probably wouldn't be a
very hard or a for people to like you and
be to kind of fit in. Although, as you said,
you probably had moments where you kind of, you know,
didn't quite know where you were.
S7 (32:04):
Oh, definitely. I think I think you can be gregarious
and vivacious with people that you know, and that you
feel comfortable with. But when I was, I guess, in
a group of people where I felt I didn't really
click with or I knew that there was non-verbal communication
going on around me, I didn't quite get it. I,
I think I would, and I think even still, I'd
be quite a shy person and sit back until I
figured out where I, where I sat, you know.
S1 (32:26):
But it's just a great point, isn't it? Because, I mean,
those that are blind or have low vision, you know,
we we do miss out on body language. And, you know, conversely,
I guess people that can say they can pick up
on that because they've kind of grown up with that.
S7 (32:38):
I think it's huge. Yeah, I think it's a really
important thing. I remember one year at the BCA convention,
we held a session on nonverbal communication. It was quite
a few years ago, and I can't remember exactly what
it entailed, but I know it was an area that I,
I still feel really strongly about. You can be sitting
at a dinner with a number of people and know
that things are going on around you, but not quite
sure exactly what what's happening.
S1 (33:00):
I think we can all kind of identify with that,
and it's kind of nice when people like you want
to say nice. It's kind of good when people like
you kind of point that out. So they think, well,
it wasn't just my imagination or, you know, it wasn't
just me feeling that I was a little bit different.
It's kind of good when people with your, you know, pedigree,
if you like, and can kind of acknowledge that and
make us feel better about ourselves as well.
S7 (33:21):
Oh that's nice. Nice of you to say. I think
sometimes you have more energy to deal with it and,
you know, verbally break into the conversation and point it out.
And other times you might sit back and think, ah,
I don't have energy to find out what's going on today. Yeah.
It's um. Yeah, I think it's important to acknowledge that,
that this stuff is in our lives and in our reality.
S1 (33:41):
I don't quite, quite normal.
S7 (33:42):
Yeah, definitely.
S1 (33:44):
Jordi, your love of Braille in particular. You touched on
the music, your love of Braille. Was that something that
happened early?
S7 (33:50):
Not really. I can remember finding reading Braille very difficult
in primary school. I can remember my first single line
spaced book, which was called Bitsy and Bernard. And I
remember struggling, struggling through this book because, you know, before
the age of eight, I'd always had double spaced Braille.
And so I hated reading in primary school. And it
(34:11):
was only when I got to secondary school that I
found books that I really wanted to continue reading. And
I loved it. And I guess after attending the national
Braille music camps and reading Braille music, yeah, reading was
much came much more easily to me as I as
I progressed. So yeah. And then having taught braille and
having transcribed braille music now I love it. I wouldn't
be without a Braille note taker. Braille is, you know,
(34:33):
a daily, um, part of my life. I can remember
in year seven, my dad coming into my room when
I was in bed and asking me what was I doing,
just sort of lying there. And I had the book,
you know, under my, under the blankets. And I just
said to him, I'm reading. So, you know, yeah, it's
always been a really important part of my life, I guess,
from secondary school on.
S1 (34:52):
But lovely. And we just have in your mind, aren't they?
S7 (34:54):
They are.
S1 (34:55):
Yeah. Well, what about the Braille music app? I know
we had a quick chat before coming in. Normally you'd
be there. I guess we'll talk about why you're not there.
You've got a reasonably legitimate excuse, but that's an important
part of your life. And I, I guess a lot
of important lives of a number of people who may
be listening or just people that have been through the, uh,
through the camps.
S7 (35:14):
Yeah. Uh, well, in in late March, I gave birth
to a beautiful baby girl called Ella.
S1 (35:19):
Congratulations.
S7 (35:20):
Thank you very much. So she has been my and
my husband's sole focus for the last several months. So
it feels very strange not to be at camp, but
I get lots of baby cuddles instead.
S1 (35:32):
Yeah, well, probably a bit more important. Well, what about that? Uh,
the role of something like the music camp. I remember
back in the early days of this program, I think
the camp had actually started before this program had. But, uh,
people like, uh, Ian Cooper and others, uh, you know,
the late, uh, Dorothy Hamilton, etcetera, that were such important
parts of it.
S7 (35:49):
Yes. It's a wonderful thing. And it's nice to see, uh,
younger mentors and blind braille music teachers and leaders coming
through the ranks, and also some of the young braille
music students from all over Australia finding a common ground
in the cold, cold, uh, surrounds of the southern Highlands
of New South Wales in Mittagong. I yeah, do wish
(36:11):
I was there, really, but, uh.
S1 (36:14):
It's it's that part of it is that part of
the appeal of it, the fact that it's in I
was going to say in hospital that's a, that's probably
not the right word, but it's such a stark conditions.
But I guess the kind of, uh, you know, makes
these botanic, uh, in you all come out and maybe
you work better together. You know how that happened. But why?
That was chosen as the venue.
S7 (36:32):
Oh. Ian Cooper, who you mentioned earlier, taught at Frensham
Girls School, where the camp has been held for 30
something years. 38 years or something. And, um, he obviously
retired from friendship, but while he was there, it became
our home. And we just kept. Yeah. The the pianos
are great. The accommodation is fantastic. The food's phenomenal. It
(36:53):
gets better every year. And the maintenance staff are great.
They put up ropes every year so that the kids
can find their way from building to building, because there's
quite a few hills and different things to negotiate. Everything's
up a big hill on a set, on a hill.
So yeah, it's it's a great venue, lots of great
facilities for music.
S1 (37:10):
I haven't spoken to people like you and others that
have been. It's a great thing as well, just as
far as I guess growing up goes as well. Isn't
it like you kind of develop a lot of social
skills and other skills and, you know, again, that interaction
with other people as well and kind of no, you're not.
You're not alone.
S7 (37:26):
Indeed. And I think the lovely thing to witness is
the sighted people step back and it's the blind people
teach their fellow peers how to do stuff, even if it's,
you know, buttering a piece of toast or if it's
finding your way to the music centre or if it's
drying your hair or something, all sorts of skills. Um,
reading a piece of Braille music. Even so, it's really
(37:47):
lovely to watch that.
S1 (37:48):
That's a powerful thing to say. Just before you go
with the, uh, with the birth of Ella, how did you. Well,
the experience, not the experience of giving birth, but kind of,
you know, because often, not often, I occasionally hear about
maybe doctors sort of saying, oh, are you sure you're
up to having this child or how are you going
to be in that sort of stuff? As we know,
you're very articulate. You're a wonderful advocate. Did you encounter
(38:11):
any of that?
S7 (38:11):
There was only one midwife that was worried about me
bringing a child home and banging her head into walls
and not being able to, you know, carry her around
the house and thinking I needed a social worker. But no,
my husband and I both are totally blind, and I
have to say, we had a very positive experience with
the whole hospital system. Um, because of some various scans,
(38:31):
I had scans twice weekly for, you know, the later
two months of my pregnancy, and they were excellent, I
really think, and even I had to stay in hospital
for a week because of various medical things. And then
my daughter had to stay an extra week in hospital
because she was in special care. She was born at
2.11 kilos, so she was small but a lot to
(38:52):
contend with. And um, yeah, I think the staff were on,
on the whole very good. I had very few that
were that were patronising or. Yeah, wondering how we'd go
about things. We were a part of a special, uh,
midwife service where the one midwife could follow us through
the whole journey, which was very helpful, especially at the caesarean,
where it was quite a nervous, nerve wracking experience. She
(39:13):
was sort of there, you know, hovering around and didn't,
didn't leave us for those few hours. So that was great.
S1 (39:18):
You sound fantastic. Had a go with the whole experience.
Is he still breathing?
S7 (39:24):
Yeah, he's been excellent. And he has two older boys,
so they're 17 and two. So now of him to
have a Bubba again. Um, but yeah, he's been absolutely
fantastic with the whole process. Yeah.
S1 (39:36):
And getting back to our original reason for chatting, uh,
the aspirations of what? I mean, the National Women's Branch
has got such a great reputation for the wonderful work
they do. And as we said, mentioned or named after
Diana Braun, kind of your feelings about getting an award
like this because you've had some, uh, very, uh, you know,
great luminary sort of gone before you that have taken
(39:57):
this award as well.
S7 (39:58):
Yes, we have, um, Christine Simpson and Joan Heckman trying
to think of some of the other awardees.
S1 (40:03):
I think, uh, Patricia Stillman, I think from going back
a while. Laurie. Um, Grosvenor.
S7 (40:09):
Yeah. All really powerful and and and humble people. And
I think the women's branch, for me, working with people
like Fiona Woods and who very kindly nominated me. It's
just really special to receive the accolade like that from
people in your own community and people that I've learned
a lot from. Lee, having been over in the UK
for the last 15 years, and Fiona Woods, uh, studying
(40:33):
law and and working in BCA as president and, um,
also talking about having children with her. You know, it's
just wonderful to have that camaraderie between, uh, us women
and women that have that are mentors and women that
are coming up as well.
S1 (40:48):
Because we often talked about lived experience. And I guess,
you know, in that instance, for example, with Fiona having kids,
that's lived experience, uh, to the nth degree, isn't it?
It's not just, you know, being blind or going to
school or, you know, doing, uh, university, but, you know,
having children that that's kind of, uh, takes us to
another level in terms of the lived experience.
S7 (41:07):
It does. And I think it's really important for us
to come together on those kind of issues. And it's
what the women's branch does very well. They have an
email discussion list and some of the topics of, of
other motherhood or retirement or and having weekly activities like
trivia or book clubs, so that people can just be
involved as much or as little as they want to.
I think it's great.
S1 (41:26):
Well, we think you're great too, Geordie. So again, congratulations.
This is one of the broad aspirations toward, as I said,
richly deserve. Keep doing the great things you do. I
always enjoy talking to you and I particularly enjoyed this interview.
I reckon the last couple we've done, you've paid lovely
tributes to people that have passed away. So it's good
to talk about you. Just just you the Geordie. So
(41:47):
well done. And congratulations on Ella as well. I'm sure
you go and have a great happy life together and
maybe a few little fun times as well.
S7 (41:56):
Thank you so much. Yeah, it's been a wonderful experience
and it's really nice to talk to you again too, Peter.
Thank you. I always enjoy it.
S1 (42:02):
That's very kind. That's Geordie how this year's winner of
the Dine Abroad Aspirations Award from the National Women's Branch. Well,
it's that time awareness month. A thing that often is overlooked.
Let's chat about it with a cancer survivor and also
a great advocate and awareness raiser for the condition. Kayla
(42:25):
Graham Bowman, kind of lovely to meet you. Thank you
for your time.
S8 (42:28):
Thank you for having me, Peter.
S1 (42:30):
Yeah, I believe that, uh, you're a bit dismissive with
some of your early symptoms.
S9 (42:34):
A little bit, yes. Um, I just put it down
to old army injuries and sports injuries. The ache in
my right thigh. That was progressively getting worse.
S1 (42:46):
You feel pretty fit. Wish you were. Yeah. Active and
going to the gym and all that sort of stuff.
S9 (42:51):
Yeah. Very fit. Um, give me five days a week
at least. Uh, working full time, running around after kids. So,
you know, just living a normal life other than 28
year old.
S1 (43:03):
Yeah, I guess, you know, sort of. I'm not sure
if the word is ironic, but you were a nurse,
and or you are a nurse working in this sort
of field, weren't you.
S9 (43:12):
At that time? Yeah, I was, um, I'd done two
years of oncology nursing. So I was very familiar with cancer. However,
I'd never even heard of sarcoma. So I guess that
just shows you how rare it really is.
S1 (43:28):
So what happened after the condition didn't improve or the
symptoms didn't improve? I obviously took it further.
S9 (43:34):
Yeah. So I went to my GP. What felt like overnight,
a lump popped up in my right thigh and it
was progressively getting worse of a night time. Went to
my GP, said I'd torn a muscle. He agreed with me,
sent me for an ultrasound to I guess just confirm
the location and it went downhill from there. Uh, straight
(43:59):
away the sonographer essentially ran out of the room, got
the doctor who came in first mentioned those words. Uh,
we need to rule out sarcoma. And from there it was, uh, surgery.
And then within a month, I was undergoing really intensive chemotherapy.
S1 (44:19):
And what's it like, Kayla? Because I guess, you know,
you kind of worked in the space, but it's a
bit different when you're on that side of the bed.
S9 (44:25):
Huge, huge. Very much a catch 22. It's excellent that
I know how to advocate for myself a bit better,
because I know what you can advocate for, I guess.
And when things don't feel right, I guess I had
a bit more clinical knowledge. But it's scary at the
same time because you kind of know what you're in for.
(44:47):
But I don't think any amount of experience could ever
prepare you for chemotherapy treatment that I had to undergo
for sarcoma. You have to have some of the harshest
or the harshest chemotherapy protocols that exist to have a
chance of beating it. So it was an extremely dark
(45:10):
and rough period. And yeah, nothing can prepare you for that,
Leslie said.
S1 (45:16):
With a young family at the time as well. I
guess you're thinking other priorities and you're thinking other things
and probably thinking, why me?
S9 (45:23):
Yeah, definitely. Um, you definitely have a bit of a
pity party, I guess. And like, what more could I
have done? But I feel like the symptoms, the one
of the other issues with sarcoma is by the time
you have symptoms, it's usually quite progressed, given it starts,
(45:44):
if it's a soft tissue subtype, it starts quite deep
within the, um, tissues. So yeah, by the time you're
experiencing any symptoms you're usually at a like grade 3
or 4.
S1 (45:58):
Is there any kind of common agreement or sort of, uh,
discussion as to what might cause something like that? Because,
as you said, you know, young, fit, healthy, uh, young woman,
you know, prime of her life and you get struck
down with this, is that a common sort of, uh,
scenario for people of that sort of age.
S9 (46:16):
Look, it definitely is. Unfortunately, um, I think sarcoma often
impacts the younger population. And a lot of, uh, individuals
with sarcoma complain of feeling like they have a sports injury,
a torn muscle. That's something we commonly see. And again,
(46:39):
it's really quite difficult to diagnose because, um, doctors don't
see it a lot and there isn't enough research to
dictate why we are getting it. It doesn't look like
there are any genetic factors. So this is something they're
still working on, um, to try and identify.
S1 (46:59):
It's quite interesting what you said there, Kayla, about GPS,
because I've often spoken to experts in this field, I think, well,
you know, wouldn't the doctor picked it up or something
like that. And they say, well, you know, the amount
of conditions that show up as this thing you know
can't start. They might go years and years without seeing
one or never see one in their career. So we
kind of, you know, we kind of think GPS are
(47:21):
pretty cool, which they are, but they can't be expected
to know everything. And I guess if they suspected the
worst every time you turned up, you'd never be out
of their office.
S8 (47:28):
Well, that's exactly right.
S9 (47:30):
And I think that that's the biggest reason to advocate. Like,
if your pain's not going away or you have that
gut feeling, go see someone else, like, don't give up
on it because you just you just never know. And
I mean, who gets cancer in their leg? That's what
I thought. Like, that's crazy. But here we are nearly
(47:53):
six years later and I'm still battling it.
S1 (47:56):
How are you going? Because I believe you're undergoing some
fairly unique sort of treatment at the moment. Is that right?
S9 (48:01):
I am, so I've relapsed twice now and the sarcoma
is now in my lungs. Um, and I'm currently undergoing
a clinical trial because there's just nothing else right now
for me that's proven to help with sarcoma. So we're
just crossing everything that, you know, this trial is going
(48:26):
to work. It's very a very hard pill to swallow. But,
you know, something's got to work one day. And everyone
is doing such an amazing job at trying to find
new cures with such little funding and such little recognition.
S1 (48:44):
That's one of the other challenges, isn't it, Kayla? The
fact that there isn't a lot of funding that goes
into particularly sarcoma research.
S9 (48:51):
Yeah. Not not enough at all. And I guess, you know,
a lot of people's mindset is, well, it's a rare cancer.
It's not impacting that many people. But we see the
statistics going up every year. And, you know, without the
research and funding, we're literally dying because we have no
(49:13):
other options. We can't do anything. Um, there's only if
the first line treatments don't work. Then we're put on
these clinical trials that are quite underfunded. And yeah, then
there's nothing else they can really do for us.
S1 (49:28):
What's the trial like in terms of your quality of life,
if you know what I mean. Like you talked about
the the chemotherapy being quite unpleasant.
S9 (49:36):
Oh, chemotherapy is you can't actually describe it. Like I
felt every cell in my body dying. It was horrific.
The immunotherapy that I'm currently on is quite tolerable. The
only real side effects I'm getting at the moment is
(49:57):
extreme fatigue. But that's something I can put up with.
I can, um, you know, the kids don't see me
as sick as I was on chemotherapy, so that's a
win in my books.
S10 (50:09):
You put a bit of a show on for the kids.
S1 (50:12):
Too much that you.
S9 (50:13):
Don't know? No, but it's also important to be honest
with them. Just age appropriate.
S10 (50:18):
That's a very thought.
S1 (50:19):
Provoking thing to say, and I guess a lot of
us wouldn't want to think about it. But you know,
when you're in that position, you've got to.
S9 (50:25):
Yeah. I mean, you know, you're suddenly you're, you know,
28 years old at the time and you're faced with
your mortality and a young family. I wouldn't wish it
upon anyone. And July being Sarcoma Awareness Month, like, it's
just so critical to get the word out there to
raise awareness, raise funds and, you know, also spark that
(50:49):
thought process in people's minds that might have that torn
muscle feeling or, you know, being dismissed by their GP
or whomever it may be, um.
S1 (51:00):
Dismissing it themselves or. Yeah, or get around to it
tomorrow sort of thing.
S9 (51:05):
Yeah, yeah. It's definitely something you can't put off. So it's. Yeah. Again,
just so critical to get the word out there.
S1 (51:15):
I believe Australia and New Zealand work pretty well together
in the area of research, and trying to get some
of the best bang for our buck.
S9 (51:21):
They certainly do. They've been such an incredible organization for me,
and just provided me and the sarcoma community with so
much support and guidance, which we need so badly, because, again,
being a rare cancer, you're often in the dark with it.
So yeah, they're yeah, very critical to our health and
(51:46):
wellbeing really.
S1 (51:47):
Peter, what about in terms of peer support? Because I mean,
some of the stuff you've just talked about in the
last few minutes with us is, you know, quite impactful. And,
you know, you kind of think, well, I hope you're
getting good support in all areas, not just your medical areas,
but in other areas. What about things like peer support
and speak to other people that are going through similar
things and hopefully, you Hopefully, you know, getting strength from
each other. How's the kind of set up in that area?
S9 (52:10):
Honestly, it's not the best. Luckily with Australia New Zealand
Sarcoma Association, they do provide like talks and gatherings that
you can meet other people at, which is fantastic. The
Cooper Rice Braiding Foundation, they also provide services that link
(52:31):
in with other people and provide support when you're struggling.
I ended up starting my own Instagram account just for
peer support called So Rarity. And there's about 800 people
on there from all around the world.
S1 (52:47):
That's amazing, isn't it?
S9 (52:48):
You know, it's just building those connections to be like,
what are you trying? What have you tried? And not
to just be doom and gloom, but to provide a
bit of hope and understanding, I guess, which was something
that was really lacking when I was diagnosed six years ago.
S1 (53:06):
Which isn't a long time, is it? You know. Yeah.
Very long time. Very. Yeah. How do you spell the
name of your Instagram account? It's a pretty cool sounding name.
S9 (53:14):
Uh, yeah. So if you go onto Instagram, it's just
s o a r e I t y.
S1 (53:23):
You come up with that, I do.
S9 (53:25):
Yeah.
S1 (53:25):
Oh, well, you got all sorts of areas, Kayla. Which
is wonderful, as well as obviously being a tremendous advocate
for something like this. So I mean, without being too personal.
So you're on treatment at the moment. Is that kind
of ongoing or do you kind of get checked in
every now and again? How does that work?
S9 (53:41):
Yeah. So it's ongoing at the moment and I'll have
my first scan in two weeks. So I guess just
fingers crossed or we're hoping for is stability and reduction
in growth. That's the best case scenario at the moment.
So I'll take any little win that I can. Um,
(54:03):
especially if I can maintain a lifestyle of being able
to keep working and be a mom and, you know,
have some quality of life as well.
S1 (54:13):
You've got a lovely energy about you and we really
appreciate you speaking so openly. Thank you so much. We're
thinking of you and we're we're back before you as
hard as we can. And let's hope that, well, firstly,
that you're okay and also that the fundraising goes well.
We'll put details up on our show notes about your, uh,
Instagram account. And also if people to donate to the
Sarcoma Awareness Month, we'll put those details up there as well.
S9 (54:34):
Fantastic. Thank you so much, Peter.
S1 (54:36):
That's a very powerful interview, and certainly a very sobering
message coming from a wonderful advocate person with lived experience
of sarcoma. Sarcoma awareness Month for July Taylor Brian Bowman
was our guest.
S6 (54:52):
I ordered.
S1 (54:53):
A scallop shell of the week, something a little.
S6 (54:55):
Lighter this week. 630 this Sunday evening.
S1 (54:58):
SBS Movie Channel. It's music and lyrics. This features a
washed up pop star getting together with a budding young
songwriter who are trying to write the next hit for
a teen idol, so they discover love and second chances
through music. It's rated PG. It's described as a rom com,
(55:20):
a romantic comedy. This Sunday evening, 630 SBS television Its
The Movie channel. Music and lyrics complemented and supplemented with
audio description from 2007. So sounds like a lot of fun.
Music is my life, life is my music. So birthdays
(55:40):
before we go Bridget Jolley having a birthday. Good on you, Bridget.
What a wonderful young advocate. Bridget is and has been
for a long time. Even though she's still very young. So. Bridget.
Happy birthday to you, Luke. Having a birthday back in
Australia after serving time overseas in all sorts of exotic
countries and places. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to
(56:03):
Stuart Lawler over there in Ireland doing some great work
in the area of technology. So happy birthday to you Stuart.
A big happy birthday to you. Hope things are going
well over there. And also Ryan Hohn having a birthday
featured prominently at the BCA convention. Ryan, happy birthday to
you over there in Perth. That's it for the program.
(56:25):
Sam Rickard, thanks so much for your help. Pat, thanks
so much for yours. Thanks to the team for helping
us put the program to air. On behalf of Philip Napier,
this is Peter Greco saying, be kind to yourselves, be
thoughtful and look out for others, or be well focal
point back at the same time next week on Vision
Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network. This is focal point.
Good evening and welcome to Focal Point here on Vision
Australia Radio 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide, online at VA radio,
VA Radio Digital and Adelaide to Darwin through the Community
Radio Plus app. Look for Vision Australia, Radio Adelaide as
well as your favorite podcast or streaming service and the
Reading Radio Network. Peter Greco on behalf of Phillip Vampire,
(00:47):
saying thank you so much for making time to tune
in this program coming to you from Gardener Land. Come
to you very shortly. We'll speak to Aunty Roz, Ross
and Sackley, who has just been recognised with an honorary
doctorate from the University of Sydney, will chat to Ross
about that. So catch up with Mia Gardener from Crime
Stoppers Victoria. Mia's topic is wildlife crime. Very very interesting.
(01:12):
We'll chat to Mir very soon. We'll catch up with
this year's winner of the Diana Braun Aspirations Award from
the National Women's Branch from blind, Sydney, Australia. A very,
very worthy winner. I look forward to chatting to that
particular person very, very soon. And then we'll catch up
with Kaila Graham Byron, who will talk to us about
(01:32):
Sarcoma Awareness Week. Kaila was diagnosed with sarcoma. We'll chat
about a bit about Kayla's journey and also how she's
going at the moment, and a chance maybe to raise
some funds and awareness about sarcoma. If you're listening through
1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide at 8:00 for your listening pleasure.
Lizzy and Sam here with Studio one. In fact, they're
(01:55):
here right now to tell us what's on Studio One.
S2 (01:59):
With the much vaunted changes to the one three Cabs app.
Has it really made any difference?
S3 (02:04):
We're joined by Kelly Schultz from Knowable Me to pick
apart reality from spin, good intentions from pragmatism and ask
where we go from here.
S2 (02:14):
So join us at eight for Studio one.
S1 (02:19):
Well, some really wonderful news for a person that we've
got to know quite well over the years. Roslyn Sackley
has just been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University
of Sydney. And it's great to welcome Roslyn or as
some people call her, Aunty Ros to the program. Roslyn,
thanks so much for your time and congratulations.
S4 (02:37):
Thank you.
S1 (02:37):
Peter, how did you receive this news? How did you
feel about it when you were told?
S4 (02:42):
Well, actually it was back in December because, you know,
like if she should take a while to get things
in the pipeline. So but I received it on the
1st of May.
S1 (02:54):
And how did you feel about it? What was your
kind of initial reaction?
S4 (02:57):
Well, I had an idea that I was still quite,
you know, until it actually happened on the day. It
was quite weird. I felt quite, you know, strange.
S1 (03:10):
Drain. Yeah. Emeritus Professor Alan Pettigrew said some lovely things
about you. That must be nice when you know someone
of that ilk, if you, like, says nice things about you.
That kind of count carries a lot more weight.
S4 (03:22):
Yes, yes. It was an amazing day, the 1st of
May and all the lovely words. And then I was
dressed up, of course, in my gown and everything, and
I had. Yeah, it was very unusual. I like to
be casual normally. And I also had an Aboriginal doll,
(03:42):
you know, it goes over your shoulders. Yeah. And it
had the Aboriginal colour. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. It was beautiful.
The best part of it really was I had all
these lovely guests that I could invite.
S1 (03:55):
Well, it's great to share moments like that with special people,
isn't it?
S4 (03:59):
Yes it is. And I had about 12 guests all together. Mhm.
And some of them were families. Some of them were
friends I'd made through various universities I've worked at and
friends that I've known, you know, through my childhood and everything.
So I wanted it to be a big mixture. So yeah.
(04:19):
And that was really, really, you know, because I hadn't
met before, of course. So it was an amazing day.
S1 (04:27):
Yeah. Now, are you recognized for your work in advocacy
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the area of
health and disability? And I was thinking kind of health
and disability, particularly in the indigenous community. It's kind of interrelated,
isn't it? A number of issues that lead to bad
health could also lead to disability.
S4 (04:46):
Oh, look, I could have you listening to me for
three days. If it's a massive, massive, it's a massive,
massive topic. So I don't know, I can't really go
back to the history of it. And it's still very,
quite alarming really. But things are changing very slowly.
S1 (05:08):
Yeah, well, it's people like you that are making a difference.
And I noticed with Emeritus Professor Alan Pettigrew, he talked
about the impact you've had on the students and the staff.
So it's not just the students that are kind of
being educated, but the staff. So again, that's such a
powerful message.
S4 (05:24):
Well, you know very well that there's always accessibility, you know,
things that you need to alert, alert staff and students about.
And then such a huge institution as Sydney Uni, it's
just massive you know. Yes. Websites. Even though, you know,
(05:45):
people try to work on them are still huge. And
unfortunately there's still a lot of inaccessibility.
S1 (05:52):
Ross. Where does it start for you? Where does this
kind of sense of social justice, this ability to advocate
so well? How did that sort of happen for you?
Was there a person or a thing that kind of
set you on that path?
S4 (06:05):
Oh, no, I think I listen a lot. I listen
to lots of stuff on the radio, lots of podcasts,
lots of. And I cannot remember the angel that gave
me my first transistor radio.
S1 (06:21):
Okay.
S4 (06:22):
I cannot remember their name. And, you know, while I
was at boarding school and I, they may not be
around anymore, but a real angel, that kind of really
set me free. I was listening to plays, stories, news,
you know, music. But even after that, you know, just
(06:44):
talking to people. And then I joined BCA and I'm very,
very interested in cross-disability issues as well. And so I've
got a, you know, fairly wide well appreciation of how
things should be and how things need to be in
the future, but aren't quite there yet.
S1 (07:05):
I'm smiling to myself. Right. Because you talked about, you know,
as a young person getting a transistor radio and the
impact that's had on your life. And what about now,
the work that you're doing at university with staff and students?
You're kind of influencing them. So in a sense, it's
kind of going full circle or it just keeps going.
(07:25):
That sort of link.
S4 (07:26):
Yes. Well, I have all my Bluetooth technology now and
which I really appreciate.
S1 (07:32):
It certainly can make a difference technology can't it? I
guess it's one of those things that can kind of
bridge that gap or, you know, that gap gets accentuated
depending on as you kind of touched on earlier, how
accessible things can be.
S4 (07:45):
Well, I'm very lucky to be working in a wonderful,
supportive team and things that we can't manage. We work out,
you know, together. So, you know, it's just you have
to be able to work in the system to some extent.
But I have to admit, I can't do everything.
S1 (08:04):
But I think it's alright to admit that you can't
do everything or kind of acknowledge it, because who can?
I mean, none of us can really, if we're really
truth to ourselves. None of us can really do it
on our own. We all need people in some way,
shape or form to kind of help or support us.
That's kind of what makes society tick.
S4 (08:24):
Yes, that's right. And I work in a really wonderful team,
so we're very supportive of each other.
S1 (08:31):
What about as far as the future goes? You kind
of touched on it again, but I know there's a
lot of work to do, but do you have a
little bit of hope that, you know, things are on
the improve and as time goes on, we're kind of
getting better at this sort of stuff, maybe resolving some
issues and sort of working together better.
S4 (08:51):
Oh yeah, I'm going to work as long as I
can in as many fields as I can. I'm not retiring.
I am, you know, as long as my health, life,
I'll be I'll be out there.
S1 (09:02):
Happy because that's important as well.
S4 (09:04):
I think it's a real danger if people are thinking
that they're old and they're, you know, can't do, you know, whatever. Yes.
You've got to, you know, tweak some things sometimes. But
as long as your health works, it's heaps of things
to work on.
S1 (09:18):
And it doesn't matter whether you're being paid the big
bucks or whether it's like a regular full time job.
We could all kind of be advocates in our own
unique ways.
S4 (09:28):
Oh, definitely. Yeah, I agree. Teaching isn't a field or
a specialty casualty where you're not, you know, it's not massive,
but you have to be a good budgeter. And if
you can just keep working.
S1 (09:44):
You know, it's kind of interesting. We talked about the
fact that the influence that you're having on your students,
they're probably taking things away from the things you're saying
to them at the moment, that they're learning from you
at the moment. And it might be ten or 20
or 30 years time that something that you said will
come back and kind of, you know, resonate with them.
(10:06):
It's not just what you're doing today. It's the impact
that it can have going forward that I think is
the really powerful thing about recognition like you've received.
S4 (10:14):
Yes, I am very, very proud of it, and I
certainly did not expect it or will never, you know,
say that I, I did expect it. It's something that's
the wonderful team I work with and lots of them
I've known for the many, many years.
S1 (10:31):
He talked about the 12 or so special people that
were there for the event. What about since then? I'm
sure that you would have received congratulations and maybe heard
from people that you know you might not have expected
to hear from. I noticed that the Canberra Blind Society
put up a lovely, lovely post about you.
S4 (10:50):
Yes, I lived in Canberra for many years and I'm
still in touch with them. And you know, I really
value that society can be blindsided and really, really, really
get upset if the smaller society gets, you know, have
to leave the scene. I think, you know, for choice,
(11:12):
for people's choice and for people's, you know, in their
own locality. We should have more not huge organizations. I
really enjoy the smaller organizations.
S1 (11:25):
Well, they kind of know their members or they know
the people that they're delivering services to. Probably better. You're
kind of, you know, not not caught up in a
big pond. You're kind of a bit more relatable, if
I can put it that way. Some of those quote unquote,
smaller organizations.
S4 (11:40):
Yeah. In general, you know, I'm not a huge fan
of bureaucracy. Yeah. You know, so I just stay on
the fringes and do what I can.
S1 (11:50):
Now, what about the the day itself though? Was there
one particular highlight, or were you painted a lovely picture
of your gown and your indigenous clothing as well. That
kind of touch of both the the tradition and the tradition,
if I can put it that way. Was there one
particular moment that stood out for you?
S4 (12:06):
Well, a very, very special, special thing happened. I have
Guide Dog. She received a certificate as well.
S1 (12:17):
That says it all, doesn't.
S4 (12:18):
It? So beautiful. Yes. That's it.
S1 (12:22):
What's your dog's name?
S4 (12:23):
That's. Brooklyn.
S1 (12:24):
Brooklyn.
S4 (12:26):
Brooklyn.
S1 (12:26):
That's a lovely.
S4 (12:27):
Name. He received a certificate as well. And so, you know,
Professor Pettigrew presented that to us as well. And my
great supporter, John Gilroy, professor, he was there. He read
out the citation and everything. And, you know, at the bottom. Yes,
(12:48):
I did hear from people that I haven't heard from,
but I've really, really kept media at a very limits.
S1 (12:55):
Well, I'm glad you've spoken to us for us. Because
that that means a lot to me. I've known you
a long time and you've always been very accessible. And
more importantly, you've always been quick to sort of say, look,
don't worry about speaking to me. Speak to this person
or that person. You're very good at delegating or sharing
the the limelight. So I really thank you for that.
I congratulate you again. Thank you so much for speaking
(13:17):
to us and we wish you well. Keep up the
great work. The world is a much better place for
a person like you.
S4 (13:23):
Oh, thank you very much, Peter. And I hope I can,
you know, get people to realise that they don't have
to give up. They can, you know, advocate for whatever
it is that's important to them.
S1 (13:35):
The lovely note to end on. All the best, Rosalind.
S4 (13:38):
Thank you. Thanks very much.
S1 (13:40):
That's aunty Roswell. Now, Doctor Rosalind Thackery with their doctorate
from the University of Sydney. So well done to Rosalind.
And certainly a very powerful message. And long may Rosalind continue.
Always great to catch up with Mia Gardner from Crime
Stoppers Victoria. One reason is because she's great to talk to.
(14:03):
Another reason is that interesting topics. Mia. Welcome back.
S5 (14:06):
Hi, Peter. Thanks for having me again.
S1 (14:08):
Wildlife crime?
S5 (14:10):
Yes. Wildlife crime. We've been focusing on that for the
last month here at Crime Stoppers. And we actually do
quite a bit of work, which probably surprises some people
when they think of Crime Stoppers. Maybe they don't think
of wildlife crime. But we do take reports on on
wildlife crime. And we're focusing mainly at the moment on
native wildlife crime. And when people think about that as well,
(14:32):
they think just animal cruelty, which is, yes, definitely a
big part of what wildlife crime is. It's shooting, you know,
mutilating native animals. But it's also illegal hunting, also keeping
and selling any protected species without authorization and also damaging
and destroying habitats. So what that could be could even
be illegal tree felling and selling the wood for firewood.
(14:56):
There can be, you know, the illegal cases of this happening,
but we have three cases at the moment. One recent
case involved a possum that was shot with a BB gun,
a kangaroo that was found decapitated and birds attacked with
a nail gun. And because lots of these types of
crimes do go unreported, because they're happening in places like bushland,
(15:18):
reserves or farms, and these places don't often have witnesses.
But someone, somewhere might know something. So we're sort of
asking the community, do you know anything about these particular cases?
Because we want to hold those responsible to account. You know,
people like this need to be accountable for what they've done.
And these are pretty abhorrent crimes. And you'd want someone
(15:41):
who has done something like this to face the consequences.
S1 (15:44):
I guess the first thing, in a sense, to point
out is that these are actually crimes, and they're punishable
with fairly severe repercussions, aren't they?
S5 (15:52):
Absolutely. So there is a whole act that protects our wildlife.
It's Victoria's Wildlife Act 1975. And so there are so
many things that fall under this. But even actions that
seem harmless, things like feeding animals, native animals in the wild,
or moving an animal from one location to another. So
that could even be a possum from your garden to,
(16:14):
you know, the forest or the Dandenong Ranges or wherever,
wherever it may be. These can actually be breaking the
law because they do cause harm to animals. For example,
you know, interfering with a breeding site like disturbing a
hooded plover during nesting season, disturbing one of their nesting
sites can have really long term effects on endangered species,
(16:35):
because we've got a lot of protected and endangered species
in Victoria. But in saying that, we're so lucky to
have such a unique, you know, wildlife and ecosystem here
that it needs to be protected. And that's why penalties
are what they are. So in Victoria, harming or illegally
possessing wildlife can carry fines of up to $46,154 or
(16:57):
even two years of prison. So these aren't, you know,
small consequences or small repercussions. They're big, and they represent
the type of crime that's being committed, which is a
really horrible and cruel crime.
S1 (17:08):
One of the interesting things you touched on before me
was the fact that, you know, some of these things
do kind of happen literally out of sight. So, eh,
I guess it's hard to find witnesses and B, you know,
it's hard to kind of prove anything. So that doesn't
make it any less important for people to, um, you know,
to speak up or report if they feel something's not
(17:28):
quite right.
S5 (17:29):
Exactly. And wildlife crime, it does have really wide reaching consequences. So,
you know, when an animal is illegally harmed, hunted or displaced,
it can do so much. It can disrupt food chains,
affect species survival and damage biodiversity. And for example, you know,
the illegal killing of a ringtail possum like the one
that we're dealing with at the moment, this unsolved case.
(17:51):
This possum had two joeys. One of them escaped, and
then one had to be taken and is now sort
of being rehabilitated. So it affects their young and their predators. But,
you know, the health of the environment and maybe the
sort of health of that population in the sense that
it might deplete their numbers. And over time, this obviously
can lead to population decline, ecosystem imbalance, and really, tragically,
(18:15):
the loss of, you know, unique species in Victoria, which
is something that we should be so grateful because we're
so lucky to have. And so when it comes to
speaking up about these things, whether you think, you know
it's something small, it might not mean anything. I just
saw someone walking in that sort of that bushland with
a with a plastic container. I don't think it means anything.
(18:37):
It might. And that's the thing, will be the judge
of that. So report it to Crime Stoppers whether you
think it's important or not. And we can definitely have
a look into it. And we pass all of these
reports onto the conservation regulator. We work with them because
they're sort of the leading organisation when it comes to
wildlife crime in Victoria. So they are the ones that
(18:58):
go in, they investigate these crimes, but they can't do
it without the community and the help from the community
because they can't be everywhere at once.
S1 (19:06):
It's such an important point you make to about the ecology,
isn't it? Because you might think, oh, that's no big deal.
You know, cutting down that tree or doing harm to
that animal. I mean, that could decapitate a kangaroo is
beyond me. But, you know, it's a story for another day,
I guess. But, you know, it is the fact that
it puts the whole ecosystem out of balance, which can
lead to other bad things happening or, you know, the
whole thing sort of going skew whiff, as it were.
S5 (19:29):
Exactly. And I think another reason why maybe it goes
unreported or underreported is because people don't even know what
they're looking for. They don't know what wildlife crime looks like.
I think they're imagining, you know, one clear idea, which
is animal cruelty. And while, yes, this is a crime
and this constitutes as wildlife crime, there are other signs
(19:49):
to look for. So even like injured wildlife with unexplained wounds,
this would be like the decapitated kangaroo or suspicious behaviour
in Bushlands or parks. This is sort of what I
mentioned before, which is people carrying cages, maybe even Tupperware and,
you know, people carrying weapons when maybe they shouldn't be.
And you could see maybe if you're scrolling online, you
(20:11):
see some animals being sold online are native animals can't
be can't be sold online or people interfering with nests, burrows,
or even marine animals. Maybe there's a boat too close
to a whale, and there are lots of regulations when
it comes to this as well. So if you are
seeing things like this happen, things like vehicle registrations, you
can report to us. Even an overheard conversation could be
(20:34):
useful and you can put photos, CCTV, everything when it
comes to your report, which could also be anonymous.
S1 (20:41):
That's a great point you were making there. Like as
to where these things are happening, like you say, it
could even be, you know, off the coastline as well. Can't.
It's not just sort of in the, in the bush.
S5 (20:51):
Absolutely. It can be. This can happen everywhere. And as
you as we were saying as well, it often happens
in isolation. But the thing is, you know, whether you're
on a farm and, you know, you can hear gunshots
from your neighbour's property and you know that maybe it's
not within a culling season or you know that you
hear that there's a bird been killed nearby that's been
(21:11):
it's endangered. And they're looking for who did it. And
you heard gunshots the day before. These are small details,
but they could be the thing that puts that puzzle
together and helps them find who's responsible.
S1 (21:22):
Mia, I know you're not a criminologist, but like, some
of this, I'm assuming, might be just people being cruel
for the sake of it again. Why do you want
to do that? I don't know, but with some of
this stuff, there's probably money at the end of it.
There's sort of illegal trade and that sort of thing
that goes on as well.
S5 (21:37):
Absolutely. And you know what motivates someone to commit something
like this? Sometimes, you know, you don't even want to
know because they're just, you know, pure acts of cruelty
or even thrill seeking, but it could be to profit
from the illegal pet trade or black market wildlife sales.
You know, some people may simply be unaware, though, that
their actions are illegal or, you know, breaking the law.
(21:59):
So that could be, like I said, disturbing marine animals.
You don't know, you can't go that close. You get
excited because you're experiencing a whale at such a close distance.
And it's something that's very, you know, exciting maybe to
be that close. But that's illegal because it can disrupt
their movements. But it could even be removing a Joey
from the wild. Maybe someone thinks, oh, that's a cute animal.
(22:20):
I'm gonna have that as a pet, but that's actually illegal.
And so what we're trying to do is raise awareness
through these campaigns. Um, the one that we've got at
the moment is called Wildlife crime. It's your call because
we want to help shift attitudes by educating the public
on what wildlife crime actually looks like, because it's hard
to know whether or not you're allowed to do something.
(22:41):
And once you know it, that's when you know you
make sure you're not doing it. it. You're not harming
any animals even without meaning to, and you're not committing
any crimes. You're also then therefore more aware of what
wildlife crime looks like in case you see it occurring.
But a lot of the time, feedback is that they are.
I didn't realize that this wasn't allowed and now I
won't do it again. But it's better if we know
(23:02):
before we do anything and before we make the mistakes.
That might have really horrible impacts on our wildlife.
S1 (23:07):
Now interesting lot is some of the information you sent
through to me was, you know, if you think you
overhear something, then report that as well. I mean, that's
so true. I mean, something we might think, oh, I'm
not sure if that's important. Someone who's, um, a very
skilled in this area can really get a lot from,
you know, a bit of information like that.
S5 (23:25):
Absolutely. It might be, like I said, that missing piece
in the puzzle, and we've actually already had successful outcomes
with reports to Crime Stoppers. We've had, you know, there
was an infringement given to someone that was too close
to a whale. There was also someone who intentionally drove
over a hooded plover nesting site and they were given
(23:47):
an infringement as well. So these things, your information can
help and it does. And it has. So if you
do see something, don't ignore it. You can tell Crime
Stoppers what you know and you can do so anonymously.
Every report helps. And we've seen this work and we're
just hoping that more people come forward and we can
help these unsolved cases, you know, help find a resolution here.
S1 (24:11):
We'll give you contact details in a second. Before we
wrap up. I guess, as you say, you're from Crime
Stoppers Victoria, but some of this sort of stuff that
could be sort of interstate, uh, um, you know, smuggling
going on as well, people maybe trying to take animals or, uh,
wildlife from one part of Australia to another as well.
That sort of thing could be going on as well.
S5 (24:30):
Absolutely. There is so much of that happening, and a
lot of the time it's in really cruel and inhumane
conditions that animals get smuggled. I mean, sometimes they're even
going offshore. They're going to, you know, different countries because
things that we think are just run of the mill
animals are unique overseas. For example, you know, a blue
(24:52):
tongue lizard is something that's very popular as a pet overseas.
And they're often stolen from the wild taken. And that's
when you'll see people carrying, you know, tubs and Tupperware
with little holes in it or even cages and, and bowls.
And then they're put into a package and sent in
the mail with, you know, a lot of them dying
in the transit, but, you know, just a few surviving,
(25:14):
and that's enough for them to make a profit. So
it's really cruel and inhumane, these, these conditions. And so
if we know of something like this is happening, say
something because it's yeah, a really horrible, horrible industry.
S1 (25:27):
Well, if we finish up where we started off, I mean,
you know, crime against wildlife, it is punishable with a
very severe penalty. So people should be aware of that.
I mean, if you're if you're doing it and you're
not aware of it, well, I guess, you know, maybe
we cut you a bit of slack there, but if
you're doing it intentionally, you could be in big trouble
by financially or indeed losing your, um. Yeah, you're right
(25:49):
to be in the society for a little while.
S5 (25:51):
Yeah. And I think, you know, the best thing to
do would be go do your research, understand what is
and is not allowed. There's lots of laws when it
comes to even walking your dog. If your dog off
leash attacks another animal, you can be facing some serious fines.
So know what the laws are just to make sure
that you're not breaking anything and you're not going to
end up with a hefty fine.
S1 (26:11):
Alright, now if people do want to find out more,
maybe you've heard something or your neighbor said something, or
you thought you heard something from someone around the place,
maybe you're out in the country, uh, enjoying some, uh,
nice fresh air and and something didn't appear as it should.
How can we get in touch? How can we report anything?
That might be a little bit, uh, not quite right.
S5 (26:30):
Well, you can make an online report at crimestopperswa.com.au. When
you're making an online report, you can upload any supporting documents,
whether it be Photos, videos, screenshots. But you can also
call one 800. 333, 000.
S1 (26:45):
Mayor, good to talk to you. In the sense it's
a little bit disturbing that we have to talk about
a topic like this, but I guess if we don't
raise the awareness then, you know, more bad things can happen.
I think there's an old saying, isn't it? Bad things
happen when good people do nothing. So if you're a
good person and most of us love animals, and even
if we don't love animals, we certainly don't want to
be cruel to animals. We can act and maybe just
(27:06):
make the the wildlife a little bit safer and a
little bit better for for us now and also for
our kids and grandkids in the future.
S5 (27:12):
Absolutely. I hope that some people have taken away a
little bit of information, and they can pass it on
to their friends and their family. Maybe they've got an
avid camper in the group that's often out and around wildlife.
It's always good to have this information. If you are
someone like that who's going to maybe be in and
amongst it. So yeah. Share this information, have a look
at our website and learn a little bit more.
S1 (27:33):
School holidays happening in lots of parts of Australia at
the moment as well. So more people out and about. Mayor,
great to catch up. We'll speak again next month.
S5 (27:40):
Thanks so much. I'll speak then to me.
S1 (27:43):
A guy there from Crime Stoppers at one 800, 333, 000,
Crime Stoppers. Com.au all those details up with our show notes.
You're listening to Focal.
S6 (27:54):
Point on Vision Australia Radio on VA radio digital and
online at Radio.com. Hope you're enjoying the program.
S1 (28:03):
Well, this year's diner brought Aspiration Award winner has been
announced and great news and deserving news. The winner is
Geordie Howell. Geordie, welcome and congratulations.
S7 (28:13):
Thanks so much Peter. I was really humbled to receive
this really fantastic special award.
S1 (28:18):
Geordie, I'm thinking that you probably appreciate this as much
as any, because we've got to know you over the
years and you've kind of got a great appreciation of
some of the history of not just BCA, but some
of the people that have gone before you in terms
of their advocacy and just their role model, uh, stuff
that they've done.
S7 (28:35):
Certainly I have, and I can think of when I
was president of the National Women's Branch in the early
mid 2002, of those women who, you know, happily still
with us are Christine Simpson, who has who received the
Aspirations award, as did Joan Heckman, um, to, you know,
pioneers in, uh, women in, in leadership in various forms.
S1 (28:57):
Yeah. And I guess, uh, you've kind of carried on
as far as that, uh, lineage goes, if you like.
Tell us a bit about your early days, because we're
having a quick chat before coming around. I remember the
first interview we did. You were saying with your dad.
I remember talking to you about that. I can't remember
how I found out about you, but it was good
that we did. And kind of followed your progress ever since.
Tell us a bit about your early days, and particularly
(29:18):
as far as kind of growing up goes and whether
you went to a conventional school, that sort of thing.
S7 (29:22):
Yeah, I remember that interview really fondly, actually. I started
school at the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind Vibe,
and I then progressed in grade three. I was integrated
into a Catholic primary school in in Melbourne and then
to a Catholic girls school, also in Melbourne. Avila Secondary
College and really enjoyed my time there particularly. It was
(29:45):
quite a strong school in music, which was I guess
I'd already been studying piano and started, I guess in
year seven, attending the National Braille music camps. I joined
various choirs at school, and from there I really grew
to be very passionate and have a love of singing.
So continued that throughout secondary school and as you alluded
(30:07):
to in that sort of 12, 13, 14 age, I
began sailing with my dad and had a really special
memories of dad sailing, particularly in regattas for the vision
impaired sailing, and also participated in the World Blind Sailing
Championship in Perth back in 1994 when I was 14
(30:28):
or so. That was so fun. After school I attended
Monash University where I studied a Bachelor of Music, majoring
in classical voice. And, um, since then I've taught Braille
and held another number of positions, I guess transcribing music
into Braille through with Vision Australia, which I still do today.
I've taught braille to adults. Um, I guess Braille and
(30:50):
music have been strong things in my life, uh, consistently
throughout my, my life.
S1 (30:56):
Going back to those early days, particularly with the integrating
into into mainstream school and also being good at music.
Do you think that kind of helped as far as
break down any barriers go? Because, you know, your fellow students,
I'm thinking, probably saw you more as a musician rather
than a person who's blind, if you know what I mean.
S7 (31:13):
Yeah, I think in primary school I struggled a bit,
particularly grade five, grade six with, um, feeling, you know, different.
I guess we've all, as blind people have when you're
in a sea of sighted people and you're the only
blind person, it's really hard to find the common links.
So in secondary school, I definitely yeah, made friends with
the musicians and, um, in at lunchtimes. I could be
(31:35):
found in practice rooms, accompanying other students on the piano
and and singing and finding the fellow music geeks and
language geeks. I enjoyed Italian and different different languages as well.
So yeah, that was much easier to cope in secondary
school when I found my crowd.
S1 (31:51):
Because, I mean, you're very engaging, vivacious, you've got a
great personality about you, so it probably wouldn't be a
very hard or a for people to like you and
be to kind of fit in. Although, as you said,
you probably had moments where you kind of, you know,
didn't quite know where you were.
S7 (32:04):
Oh, definitely. I think I think you can be gregarious
and vivacious with people that you know, and that you
feel comfortable with. But when I was, I guess, in
a group of people where I felt I didn't really
click with or I knew that there was non-verbal communication
going on around me, I didn't quite get it. I,
I think I would, and I think even still, I'd
be quite a shy person and sit back until I
figured out where I, where I sat, you know.
S1 (32:26):
But it's just a great point, isn't it? Because, I mean,
those that are blind or have low vision, you know,
we we do miss out on body language. And, you know, conversely,
I guess people that can say they can pick up
on that because they've kind of grown up with that.
S7 (32:38):
I think it's huge. Yeah, I think it's a really
important thing. I remember one year at the BCA convention,
we held a session on nonverbal communication. It was quite
a few years ago, and I can't remember exactly what
it entailed, but I know it was an area that I,
I still feel really strongly about. You can be sitting
at a dinner with a number of people and know
that things are going on around you, but not quite
sure exactly what what's happening.
S1 (33:00):
I think we can all kind of identify with that,
and it's kind of nice when people like you want
to say nice. It's kind of good when people like
you kind of point that out. So they think, well,
it wasn't just my imagination or, you know, it wasn't
just me feeling that I was a little bit different.
It's kind of good when people with your, you know, pedigree,
if you like, and can kind of acknowledge that and
make us feel better about ourselves as well.
S7 (33:21):
Oh that's nice. Nice of you to say. I think
sometimes you have more energy to deal with it and,
you know, verbally break into the conversation and point it out.
And other times you might sit back and think, ah,
I don't have energy to find out what's going on today. Yeah.
It's um. Yeah, I think it's important to acknowledge that,
that this stuff is in our lives and in our reality.
S1 (33:41):
I don't quite, quite normal.
S7 (33:42):
Yeah, definitely.
S1 (33:44):
Jordi, your love of Braille in particular. You touched on
the music, your love of Braille. Was that something that
happened early?
S7 (33:50):
Not really. I can remember finding reading Braille very difficult
in primary school. I can remember my first single line
spaced book, which was called Bitsy and Bernard. And I
remember struggling, struggling through this book because, you know, before
the age of eight, I'd always had double spaced Braille.
And so I hated reading in primary school. And it
(34:11):
was only when I got to secondary school that I
found books that I really wanted to continue reading. And
I loved it. And I guess after attending the national
Braille music camps and reading Braille music, yeah, reading was
much came much more easily to me as I as
I progressed. So yeah. And then having taught braille and
having transcribed braille music now I love it. I wouldn't
be without a Braille note taker. Braille is, you know,
(34:33):
a daily, um, part of my life. I can remember
in year seven, my dad coming into my room when
I was in bed and asking me what was I doing,
just sort of lying there. And I had the book,
you know, under my, under the blankets. And I just
said to him, I'm reading. So, you know, yeah, it's
always been a really important part of my life, I guess,
from secondary school on.
S1 (34:52):
But lovely. And we just have in your mind, aren't they?
S7 (34:54):
They are.
S1 (34:55):
Yeah. Well, what about the Braille music app? I know
we had a quick chat before coming in. Normally you'd
be there. I guess we'll talk about why you're not there.
You've got a reasonably legitimate excuse, but that's an important
part of your life. And I, I guess a lot
of important lives of a number of people who may
be listening or just people that have been through the, uh,
through the camps.
S7 (35:14):
Yeah. Uh, well, in in late March, I gave birth
to a beautiful baby girl called Ella.
S1 (35:19):
Congratulations.
S7 (35:20):
Thank you very much. So she has been my and
my husband's sole focus for the last several months. So
it feels very strange not to be at camp, but
I get lots of baby cuddles instead.
S1 (35:32):
Yeah, well, probably a bit more important. Well, what about that? Uh,
the role of something like the music camp. I remember
back in the early days of this program, I think
the camp had actually started before this program had. But, uh,
people like, uh, Ian Cooper and others, uh, you know,
the late, uh, Dorothy Hamilton, etcetera, that were such important
parts of it.
S7 (35:49):
Yes. It's a wonderful thing. And it's nice to see, uh,
younger mentors and blind braille music teachers and leaders coming
through the ranks, and also some of the young braille
music students from all over Australia finding a common ground
in the cold, cold, uh, surrounds of the southern Highlands
of New South Wales in Mittagong. I yeah, do wish
(36:11):
I was there, really, but, uh.
S1 (36:14):
It's it's that part of it is that part of
the appeal of it, the fact that it's in I
was going to say in hospital that's a, that's probably
not the right word, but it's such a stark conditions.
But I guess the kind of, uh, you know, makes
these botanic, uh, in you all come out and maybe
you work better together. You know how that happened. But why?
That was chosen as the venue.
S7 (36:32):
Oh. Ian Cooper, who you mentioned earlier, taught at Frensham
Girls School, where the camp has been held for 30
something years. 38 years or something. And, um, he obviously
retired from friendship, but while he was there, it became
our home. And we just kept. Yeah. The the pianos
are great. The accommodation is fantastic. The food's phenomenal. It
(36:53):
gets better every year. And the maintenance staff are great.
They put up ropes every year so that the kids
can find their way from building to building, because there's
quite a few hills and different things to negotiate. Everything's
up a big hill on a set, on a hill.
So yeah, it's it's a great venue, lots of great
facilities for music.
S1 (37:10):
I haven't spoken to people like you and others that
have been. It's a great thing as well, just as
far as I guess growing up goes as well. Isn't
it like you kind of develop a lot of social
skills and other skills and, you know, again, that interaction
with other people as well and kind of no, you're not.
You're not alone.
S7 (37:26):
Indeed. And I think the lovely thing to witness is
the sighted people step back and it's the blind people
teach their fellow peers how to do stuff, even if it's,
you know, buttering a piece of toast or if it's
finding your way to the music centre or if it's
drying your hair or something, all sorts of skills. Um,
reading a piece of Braille music. Even so, it's really
(37:47):
lovely to watch that.
S1 (37:48):
That's a powerful thing to say. Just before you go
with the, uh, with the birth of Ella, how did you. Well,
the experience, not the experience of giving birth, but kind of,
you know, because often, not often, I occasionally hear about
maybe doctors sort of saying, oh, are you sure you're
up to having this child or how are you going
to be in that sort of stuff? As we know,
you're very articulate. You're a wonderful advocate. Did you encounter
(38:11):
any of that?
S7 (38:11):
There was only one midwife that was worried about me
bringing a child home and banging her head into walls
and not being able to, you know, carry her around
the house and thinking I needed a social worker. But no,
my husband and I both are totally blind, and I
have to say, we had a very positive experience with
the whole hospital system. Um, because of some various scans,
(38:31):
I had scans twice weekly for, you know, the later
two months of my pregnancy, and they were excellent, I
really think, and even I had to stay in hospital
for a week because of various medical things. And then
my daughter had to stay an extra week in hospital
because she was in special care. She was born at
2.11 kilos, so she was small but a lot to
(38:52):
contend with. And um, yeah, I think the staff were on,
on the whole very good. I had very few that
were that were patronising or. Yeah, wondering how we'd go
about things. We were a part of a special, uh,
midwife service where the one midwife could follow us through
the whole journey, which was very helpful, especially at the caesarean,
where it was quite a nervous, nerve wracking experience. She
(39:13):
was sort of there, you know, hovering around and didn't,
didn't leave us for those few hours. So that was great.
S1 (39:18):
You sound fantastic. Had a go with the whole experience.
Is he still breathing?
S7 (39:24):
Yeah, he's been excellent. And he has two older boys,
so they're 17 and two. So now of him to
have a Bubba again. Um, but yeah, he's been absolutely
fantastic with the whole process. Yeah.
S1 (39:36):
And getting back to our original reason for chatting, uh,
the aspirations of what? I mean, the National Women's Branch
has got such a great reputation for the wonderful work
they do. And as we said, mentioned or named after
Diana Braun, kind of your feelings about getting an award
like this because you've had some, uh, very, uh, you know,
great luminary sort of gone before you that have taken
(39:57):
this award as well.
S7 (39:58):
Yes, we have, um, Christine Simpson and Joan Heckman trying
to think of some of the other awardees.
S1 (40:03):
I think, uh, Patricia Stillman, I think from going back
a while. Laurie. Um, Grosvenor.
S7 (40:09):
Yeah. All really powerful and and and humble people. And
I think the women's branch, for me, working with people
like Fiona Woods and who very kindly nominated me. It's
just really special to receive the accolade like that from
people in your own community and people that I've learned
a lot from. Lee, having been over in the UK
for the last 15 years, and Fiona Woods, uh, studying
(40:33):
law and and working in BCA as president and, um,
also talking about having children with her. You know, it's
just wonderful to have that camaraderie between, uh, us women
and women that have that are mentors and women that
are coming up as well.
S1 (40:48):
Because we often talked about lived experience. And I guess,
you know, in that instance, for example, with Fiona having kids,
that's lived experience, uh, to the nth degree, isn't it?
It's not just, you know, being blind or going to
school or, you know, doing, uh, university, but, you know,
having children that that's kind of, uh, takes us to
another level in terms of the lived experience.
S7 (41:07):
It does. And I think it's really important for us
to come together on those kind of issues. And it's
what the women's branch does very well. They have an
email discussion list and some of the topics of, of
other motherhood or retirement or and having weekly activities like
trivia or book clubs, so that people can just be
involved as much or as little as they want to.
I think it's great.
S1 (41:26):
Well, we think you're great too, Geordie. So again, congratulations.
This is one of the broad aspirations toward, as I said,
richly deserve. Keep doing the great things you do. I
always enjoy talking to you and I particularly enjoyed this interview.
I reckon the last couple we've done, you've paid lovely
tributes to people that have passed away. So it's good
to talk about you. Just just you the Geordie. So
(41:47):
well done. And congratulations on Ella as well. I'm sure
you go and have a great happy life together and
maybe a few little fun times as well.
S7 (41:56):
Thank you so much. Yeah, it's been a wonderful experience
and it's really nice to talk to you again too, Peter.
Thank you. I always enjoy it.
S1 (42:02):
That's very kind. That's Geordie how this year's winner of
the Dine Abroad Aspirations Award from the National Women's Branch. Well,
it's that time awareness month. A thing that often is overlooked.
Let's chat about it with a cancer survivor and also
a great advocate and awareness raiser for the condition. Kayla
(42:25):
Graham Bowman, kind of lovely to meet you. Thank you
for your time.
S8 (42:28):
Thank you for having me, Peter.
S1 (42:30):
Yeah, I believe that, uh, you're a bit dismissive with
some of your early symptoms.
S9 (42:34):
A little bit, yes. Um, I just put it down
to old army injuries and sports injuries. The ache in
my right thigh. That was progressively getting worse.
S1 (42:46):
You feel pretty fit. Wish you were. Yeah. Active and
going to the gym and all that sort of stuff.
S9 (42:51):
Yeah. Very fit. Um, give me five days a week
at least. Uh, working full time, running around after kids. So,
you know, just living a normal life other than 28
year old.
S1 (43:03):
Yeah, I guess, you know, sort of. I'm not sure
if the word is ironic, but you were a nurse,
and or you are a nurse working in this sort
of field, weren't you.
S9 (43:12):
At that time? Yeah, I was, um, I'd done two
years of oncology nursing. So I was very familiar with cancer. However,
I'd never even heard of sarcoma. So I guess that
just shows you how rare it really is.
S1 (43:28):
So what happened after the condition didn't improve or the
symptoms didn't improve? I obviously took it further.
S9 (43:34):
Yeah. So I went to my GP. What felt like overnight,
a lump popped up in my right thigh and it
was progressively getting worse of a night time. Went to
my GP, said I'd torn a muscle. He agreed with me,
sent me for an ultrasound to I guess just confirm
the location and it went downhill from there. Uh, straight
(43:59):
away the sonographer essentially ran out of the room, got
the doctor who came in first mentioned those words. Uh,
we need to rule out sarcoma. And from there it was, uh, surgery.
And then within a month, I was undergoing really intensive chemotherapy.
S1 (44:19):
And what's it like, Kayla? Because I guess, you know,
you kind of worked in the space, but it's a
bit different when you're on that side of the bed.
S9 (44:25):
Huge, huge. Very much a catch 22. It's excellent that
I know how to advocate for myself a bit better,
because I know what you can advocate for, I guess.
And when things don't feel right, I guess I had
a bit more clinical knowledge. But it's scary at the
same time because you kind of know what you're in for.
(44:47):
But I don't think any amount of experience could ever
prepare you for chemotherapy treatment that I had to undergo
for sarcoma. You have to have some of the harshest
or the harshest chemotherapy protocols that exist to have a
chance of beating it. So it was an extremely dark
(45:10):
and rough period. And yeah, nothing can prepare you for that,
Leslie said.
S1 (45:16):
With a young family at the time as well. I
guess you're thinking other priorities and you're thinking other things
and probably thinking, why me?
S9 (45:23):
Yeah, definitely. Um, you definitely have a bit of a
pity party, I guess. And like, what more could I
have done? But I feel like the symptoms, the one
of the other issues with sarcoma is by the time
you have symptoms, it's usually quite progressed, given it starts,
(45:44):
if it's a soft tissue subtype, it starts quite deep
within the, um, tissues. So yeah, by the time you're
experiencing any symptoms you're usually at a like grade 3
or 4.
S1 (45:58):
Is there any kind of common agreement or sort of, uh,
discussion as to what might cause something like that? Because,
as you said, you know, young, fit, healthy, uh, young woman,
you know, prime of her life and you get struck
down with this, is that a common sort of, uh,
scenario for people of that sort of age.
S9 (46:16):
Look, it definitely is. Unfortunately, um, I think sarcoma often
impacts the younger population. And a lot of, uh, individuals
with sarcoma complain of feeling like they have a sports injury,
a torn muscle. That's something we commonly see. And again,
(46:39):
it's really quite difficult to diagnose because, um, doctors don't
see it a lot and there isn't enough research to
dictate why we are getting it. It doesn't look like
there are any genetic factors. So this is something they're
still working on, um, to try and identify.
S1 (46:59):
It's quite interesting what you said there, Kayla, about GPS,
because I've often spoken to experts in this field, I think, well,
you know, wouldn't the doctor picked it up or something
like that. And they say, well, you know, the amount
of conditions that show up as this thing you know
can't start. They might go years and years without seeing
one or never see one in their career. So we
kind of, you know, we kind of think GPS are
(47:21):
pretty cool, which they are, but they can't be expected
to know everything. And I guess if they suspected the
worst every time you turned up, you'd never be out
of their office.
S8 (47:28):
Well, that's exactly right.
S9 (47:30):
And I think that that's the biggest reason to advocate. Like,
if your pain's not going away or you have that
gut feeling, go see someone else, like, don't give up
on it because you just you just never know. And
I mean, who gets cancer in their leg? That's what
I thought. Like, that's crazy. But here we are nearly
(47:53):
six years later and I'm still battling it.
S1 (47:56):
How are you going? Because I believe you're undergoing some
fairly unique sort of treatment at the moment. Is that right?
S9 (48:01):
I am, so I've relapsed twice now and the sarcoma
is now in my lungs. Um, and I'm currently undergoing
a clinical trial because there's just nothing else right now
for me that's proven to help with sarcoma. So we're
just crossing everything that, you know, this trial is going
(48:26):
to work. It's very a very hard pill to swallow. But,
you know, something's got to work one day. And everyone
is doing such an amazing job at trying to find
new cures with such little funding and such little recognition.
S1 (48:44):
That's one of the other challenges, isn't it, Kayla? The
fact that there isn't a lot of funding that goes
into particularly sarcoma research.
S9 (48:51):
Yeah. Not not enough at all. And I guess, you know,
a lot of people's mindset is, well, it's a rare cancer.
It's not impacting that many people. But we see the
statistics going up every year. And, you know, without the
research and funding, we're literally dying because we have no
(49:13):
other options. We can't do anything. Um, there's only if
the first line treatments don't work. Then we're put on
these clinical trials that are quite underfunded. And yeah, then
there's nothing else they can really do for us.
S1 (49:28):
What's the trial like in terms of your quality of life,
if you know what I mean. Like you talked about
the the chemotherapy being quite unpleasant.
S9 (49:36):
Oh, chemotherapy is you can't actually describe it. Like I
felt every cell in my body dying. It was horrific.
The immunotherapy that I'm currently on is quite tolerable. The
only real side effects I'm getting at the moment is
(49:57):
extreme fatigue. But that's something I can put up with.
I can, um, you know, the kids don't see me
as sick as I was on chemotherapy, so that's a
win in my books.
S10 (50:09):
You put a bit of a show on for the kids.
S1 (50:12):
Too much that you.
S9 (50:13):
Don't know? No, but it's also important to be honest
with them. Just age appropriate.
S10 (50:18):
That's a very thought.
S1 (50:19):
Provoking thing to say, and I guess a lot of
us wouldn't want to think about it. But you know,
when you're in that position, you've got to.
S9 (50:25):
Yeah. I mean, you know, you're suddenly you're, you know,
28 years old at the time and you're faced with
your mortality and a young family. I wouldn't wish it
upon anyone. And July being Sarcoma Awareness Month, like, it's
just so critical to get the word out there to
raise awareness, raise funds and, you know, also spark that
(50:49):
thought process in people's minds that might have that torn
muscle feeling or, you know, being dismissed by their GP
or whomever it may be, um.
S1 (51:00):
Dismissing it themselves or. Yeah, or get around to it
tomorrow sort of thing.
S9 (51:05):
Yeah, yeah. It's definitely something you can't put off. So it's. Yeah. Again,
just so critical to get the word out there.
S1 (51:15):
I believe Australia and New Zealand work pretty well together
in the area of research, and trying to get some
of the best bang for our buck.
S9 (51:21):
They certainly do. They've been such an incredible organization for me,
and just provided me and the sarcoma community with so
much support and guidance, which we need so badly, because, again,
being a rare cancer, you're often in the dark with it.
So yeah, they're yeah, very critical to our health and
(51:46):
wellbeing really.
S1 (51:47):
Peter, what about in terms of peer support? Because I mean,
some of the stuff you've just talked about in the
last few minutes with us is, you know, quite impactful. And,
you know, you kind of think, well, I hope you're
getting good support in all areas, not just your medical areas,
but in other areas. What about things like peer support
and speak to other people that are going through similar
things and hopefully, you Hopefully, you know, getting strength from
each other. How's the kind of set up in that area?
S9 (52:10):
Honestly, it's not the best. Luckily with Australia New Zealand
Sarcoma Association, they do provide like talks and gatherings that
you can meet other people at, which is fantastic. The
Cooper Rice Braiding Foundation, they also provide services that link
(52:31):
in with other people and provide support when you're struggling.
I ended up starting my own Instagram account just for
peer support called So Rarity. And there's about 800 people
on there from all around the world.
S1 (52:47):
That's amazing, isn't it?
S9 (52:48):
You know, it's just building those connections to be like,
what are you trying? What have you tried? And not
to just be doom and gloom, but to provide a
bit of hope and understanding, I guess, which was something
that was really lacking when I was diagnosed six years ago.
S1 (53:06):
Which isn't a long time, is it? You know. Yeah.
Very long time. Very. Yeah. How do you spell the
name of your Instagram account? It's a pretty cool sounding name.
S9 (53:14):
Uh, yeah. So if you go onto Instagram, it's just
s o a r e I t y.
S1 (53:23):
You come up with that, I do.
S9 (53:25):
Yeah.
S1 (53:25):
Oh, well, you got all sorts of areas, Kayla. Which
is wonderful, as well as obviously being a tremendous advocate
for something like this. So I mean, without being too personal.
So you're on treatment at the moment. Is that kind
of ongoing or do you kind of get checked in
every now and again? How does that work?
S9 (53:41):
Yeah. So it's ongoing at the moment and I'll have
my first scan in two weeks. So I guess just
fingers crossed or we're hoping for is stability and reduction
in growth. That's the best case scenario at the moment.
So I'll take any little win that I can. Um,
(54:03):
especially if I can maintain a lifestyle of being able
to keep working and be a mom and, you know,
have some quality of life as well.
S1 (54:13):
You've got a lovely energy about you and we really
appreciate you speaking so openly. Thank you so much. We're
thinking of you and we're we're back before you as
hard as we can. And let's hope that, well, firstly,
that you're okay and also that the fundraising goes well.
We'll put details up on our show notes about your, uh,
Instagram account. And also if people to donate to the
Sarcoma Awareness Month, we'll put those details up there as well.
S9 (54:34):
Fantastic. Thank you so much, Peter.
S1 (54:36):
That's a very powerful interview, and certainly a very sobering
message coming from a wonderful advocate person with lived experience
of sarcoma. Sarcoma awareness Month for July Taylor Brian Bowman
was our guest.
S6 (54:52):
I ordered.
S1 (54:53):
A scallop shell of the week, something a little.
S6 (54:55):
Lighter this week. 630 this Sunday evening.
S1 (54:58):
SBS Movie Channel. It's music and lyrics. This features a
washed up pop star getting together with a budding young
songwriter who are trying to write the next hit for
a teen idol, so they discover love and second chances
through music. It's rated PG. It's described as a rom com,
(55:20):
a romantic comedy. This Sunday evening, 630 SBS television Its
The Movie channel. Music and lyrics complemented and supplemented with
audio description from 2007. So sounds like a lot of fun.
Music is my life, life is my music. So birthdays
(55:40):
before we go Bridget Jolley having a birthday. Good on you, Bridget.
What a wonderful young advocate. Bridget is and has been
for a long time. Even though she's still very young. So. Bridget.
Happy birthday to you, Luke. Having a birthday back in
Australia after serving time overseas in all sorts of exotic
countries and places. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to
(56:03):
Stuart Lawler over there in Ireland doing some great work
in the area of technology. So happy birthday to you Stuart.
A big happy birthday to you. Hope things are going
well over there. And also Ryan Hohn having a birthday
featured prominently at the BCA convention. Ryan, happy birthday to
you over there in Perth. That's it for the program.
(56:25):
Sam Rickard, thanks so much for your help. Pat, thanks
so much for yours. Thanks to the team for helping
us put the program to air. On behalf of Philip Napier,
this is Peter Greco saying, be kind to yourselves, be
thoughtful and look out for others, or be well focal
point back at the same time next week on Vision
Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network. This is focal point.
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