18 Oct 2025

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:14):
Hi, I'm Molly Lavelle, Paralympic bronze medalist and winner of
two silver medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in India.
And you're listening to leisure link with Peter Greco on
the Vision Australia radio network.

S2 (00:48):
It's just gone 5:00. It's a walking leisure link here
on Australia Radio 1190 7 a.m. Adelaide. Online at Via
radio via Radio Digital in Adelaide and Darwin through the
Community Radio app. Look for Vision Australia, Radio Adelaide your
favourite podcast or streaming service and also find us our

(01:08):
friends listening through 103.9 Hope FM investments in Western Australia.
Hello to you. Also, if you're listening to the Reading
Radio Network, a big cheerio to you and a big
thank you and hello to Disability Media Australia. Thank you
for their tremendous support. You can find out much more
about them including at Powered Media. Media Peter Greco saying

(01:34):
thank you so much for making time to tune in
this program, coming to you from Ghana and come to
you very shortly. We'll speak to Molly Lovell about athletics
just back from India. How did Marley go? We'll catch
up with Suresh, who has just recently been recognized in
a Youth Justice Award. Such an important topic. Lee Kumata
will tell us about International White Cane Day, and some

(01:57):
good tips for particularly the general public. Might help someone
you know will speak to Pam Mitchell about Mental Health
Awareness Week. Also catch up with Catherine Carey, who is
involved with the Workability Expose. There's one coming to Brisbane.
A chance for you to get along. We'll speak to
Doctor Ellie Cutler. Who talks about psychedelic medicine and how

(02:19):
that may be used helpfully for people with mental illness,
and will also speak to Michael Yazbek. Michael is a vet.
He's talking about paralysis. Take your pooch or Moggy might
benefit from listening in. Let's find out how Australian Paralympic

(02:40):
team went at the World Para Athletics Championships and catch
up with one of the stars of the team. Molly Lovell. Molly,
lovely to catch up and thanks for your time.

S1 (02:49):
Thank you. Thanks for having me.

S2 (02:52):
It's a pleasure. How do you think it went? The
results look good to me. But what about you? How
did you think it went?

S1 (02:57):
Yeah. No, I went really well. Um, I was just
a bit off my pubes, but, um, I raced, and
I felt really good, so, um. That's what I just
needed to do.

S2 (03:09):
Yeah, well, you were in the two events in particular?

S1 (03:12):
Yes.

S2 (03:14):
So the events. And how did you go?

S1 (03:16):
Um, I got silver in both the 102 hundred T36.

S2 (03:21):
And what was your feeling leading up to the event?
Were you feeling like you were going pretty well?

S1 (03:25):
Um, yeah, I was feeling really good. Um, before, um,
before I went away. So, um, that had me feeling
good for when I went. I went to India.

S2 (03:37):
Now, uh, as you said, uh, silver medal in one
of the events. Was there a world record broken?

S1 (03:43):
Um, yes, actually, in the 200. Um, her name was
Danielle from New Zealand. And. Yeah, she's so speedy.

S2 (03:52):
You know much about it before the event?

S1 (03:54):
Yeah. So I've been competing with her for about, like, uh,
let's say two years, um, on the international stage. So
I knew that she was going to be there.

S2 (04:05):
Because New Zealand's got costs a pretty good athletes. Uh, in,
in a lot of sports have that Paralympic level. I
know there uh, wheelchair rugby team for example, is always
pretty strong and in other sports. So, uh, I guess
it's no surprise that you get, uh, an athlete like
that that comes up.

S1 (04:21):
Yeah. Yeah, it's. No, but it's good. It keeps me
pushing for something more in the future.

S2 (04:27):
Yeah. I want to speak a little bit more about
that in the second hour. We spoke to you after, uh, Paris.
And you did well in Paris. You came back with
a medal, which would have been a great thrill. What
about 16? Which is what, just over a year ago
now since, uh, Paris. Time flies, doesn't it?

S1 (04:41):
I know it does fly. It just still think I'm still, like,
getting over that. I got a bronze medal.

S2 (04:49):
Well, what about since then? What have you been doing?
Was it hard to kind of, um, get back motivated?
Did you have a bit of time off? What did
you do straight after Paris and what have you been
doing for, you know, the the beginning of this year
until now?

S1 (05:00):
Yeah. So I had a bit of a break since
after Paris, I had a break and then I kind of,
like slowly, slowly went back into it because I kind
of knew that I had world champs this year. So
I've kind of been really busy since Paris. Yeah.

S2 (05:18):
And obviously your performances in India would kind of, you know,
show that whatever you're doing, you're doing it well, because
Bronze in Paris and now a couple of silver medals.
So that's kind of natural improvement you feel.

S1 (05:31):
Yeah. It's good.

S2 (05:33):
How much time do you spend training these days like
compared to say, even a year or two ago? Give
us a bit of an idea of your, um, your
routine as far as your training and your preparation goes.

S1 (05:43):
So I do three track sessions and two gym sessions.
I train Monday, Thursday and Saturday on track, and then
I have Wednesday and Friday to do my gym sessions.

S2 (05:55):
It doesn't leave too many days off. Molly.

S1 (05:57):
No, no.

S2 (06:00):
What about your gym session? How important is that? Because
you're a sprinter? Obviously the 1 in 200. That gym
is important. For what? That explosive strength.

S1 (06:07):
Yeah. It gives me so much strength and like, literally
my overall strength just to keep me strong. And yeah,
and I have a really good gym coach, Chris Bradner
at the New South Wales Institute of Sport. And yeah,
it's I have a really good connection with him.

S2 (06:26):
Is there one part of your training that you enjoy
more than the other? I'm thinking your gym stuff compared
to your track stuff.

S1 (06:32):
I mean, at the moment I'm starting to really love gym,
but like, it's like I really enjoy the 32nd ones
are like after like after I run them, like. Yeah,
it's just. Yeah.

S2 (06:46):
Just about India now. Um, you, uh, you finished second
in one of your events and then did you ever
fall after the event?

S1 (06:52):
Yes, I actually did fall. It wasn't actually that bad.
I've got a few grazes, but if I was like,
on say, that was a Monday check. But if I
was on like a oh, I don't know the name
of it, but like the other sort of pack, I
would have had like so many more grazes. But yeah,

(07:12):
it was. I thought it was going to be worse
than I actually thought it was going to be. So
it was. Yeah.

S2 (07:18):
And was that just through so much effort you put
into the finish and particularly the last little bit of
the event that, uh, fell because of that, or how
did the fall come about?

S1 (07:28):
I think it was because, like, I was going as
fast as I can and I guess I just put
in so much effort and and then it just like, came,
came on me and then I just fell over.

S2 (07:40):
Of course, you, um, have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Does that play a role? Because that can impact on
your balance, can't it?

S1 (07:47):
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

S2 (07:49):
Did that play a role, do you think in the
fall or it might have just been the, the, uh,
the extreme effort that you put in?

S1 (07:55):
I think it's a bit of both, a bit of
my CP and like the balance balanced side, and also
just me putting so much effort in because of my CFA.
I was so wobbly after and I literally couldn't walk
straight like, yeah, I was so tired and like, yeah.

S2 (08:12):
Was it scary? Or you kind of knew you would
recover it?

S1 (08:16):
It wasn't really scary. I was just like, oh, I
fell over. It's okay. But like at the time I
was so tired. I just wanted to lie down and yeah, cry.

S2 (08:26):
Oh, really?

S1 (08:27):
Yeah.

S2 (08:28):
Well, I think sometimes we don't appreciate the efforts that
athletes go to to perform well. We get excited when
you win medals, but we don't probably appreciate the effort.
So thank you for sharing that. Now you talked about
the track surface. So what was, uh, New Delhi like
compared to some other places?

S1 (08:44):
The track was super fast, which was really good. There's
two type of types of tracks. There's one called Mondo,
which was what it was like in India. I don't
know the other name. I think it's something like RAK,
something of some sorts. But yeah, it has like little
bubbles that, um, not bubbles like little surface things that

(09:08):
that's on the track. Yeah.

S2 (09:10):
So this was a well, if you could choose a
track to fall on, this was the better one to
fall on in terms of potential injuries or grazes etc.
from it.

S1 (09:19):
Yeah, yeah.

S2 (09:20):
What about in Australia? What do we run on.

S1 (09:22):
We have one Mondo track in I think it's actually two.
There's one in Sutherland and there's one in Canberra. So
that's that's Mondo and then all the rest is the
other other kind.

S2 (09:36):
Have you had a fall on the other tracks?

S1 (09:37):
I nearly did in Perth at nationals, but luckily I
was able to save myself.

S2 (09:44):
What about as far as, um, you know, kind of
improving your balance? I mean, CP cerebral palsy is one thing,
but can you do stuff to kind of improve your balance?
We often hear about, you know, physiotherapists giving people balanced
exercises to do. Do you? Can they help you as well?
Or is it more, uh, something specific to the fact
that you have, you know, competing at such a high level?

S1 (10:05):
My gym coach from northwest gives me a bit, a
bit of balance exercises to do, but I just do
some every week and then it's just. Yeah, it's just
just me working on it sometimes. But yeah, it hasn't
really improved much, which is which is okay because I
have CP.

S2 (10:24):
What about as far as now then what's coming up?
Of course we'll talk about uh, Brisbane because I think
just 21 1021 earlier this year didn't you I think, yeah.

S1 (10:34):
So 1021 in June.

S2 (10:36):
Yeah. So uh, uh, 21 plus seven makes it 28.
So you're going to be at your prime in Brisbane,
but I guess you got fish to fry before then.

S1 (10:45):
Yes. Yeah definitely LA and yeah, definitely the home uh,
home games in Brisbane which is so exciting.

S2 (10:53):
What about between now and say LA? That's still three
years away. What's in the next sort of 12 months
or so for you? How programmed is your, uh, is
your routine between, you know, between the sort of weeks
and months that are ahead?

S1 (11:07):
I look towards com games, but they don't have my classifications.
So there is a Oceania Championships in Darwin. I think
it's next June. Okay. Um, so yeah, I'm looking forward
to do that. And then the next world champs after that.
I don't know where it is, but we'll find out soon.

(11:29):
So yeah.

S2 (11:30):
The championships in Darwin might be a nice birthday present
to give yourself. Marley.

S1 (11:35):
Yes. Yeah, hopefully.

S2 (11:37):
Now, what about away from sport? Because you're a busy
person I know you like to achieve. What are you
doing away from actually competing and training, etcetera.

S1 (11:45):
I work at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Yeah, twice a week.
And like, I love seeing, like, all the clients there.
Like they're all so happy and like, we love to
help them out with sport.

S2 (11:57):
Do you feel like you're a bit of a role model?
Because obviously, you know, you're a person who lives with
cerebral palsy, lives very well, competes with it very well.
Silver medals at world championships. You kind of like the
kind of role model status.

S1 (12:11):
Yeah. No, I think I've, um, put myself into a
great role model position. I was once a client in
their shoes. And now to see that they're looking up
at me and it's just like, crazy.

S2 (12:25):
Yes. That's saying, I think you can't be what you
can't see. And I guess if those, uh, kids and
people that are seeing what you're achieving, they think, well,
you know, maybe I can do that one day as well.

S1 (12:34):
Yeah, yeah. No, it's really good.

S2 (12:36):
And, Molly, what about India? What? What do you think
of it? Do you get much of a chance to
kind of experience the culture and the food and the
people and the the busyness of it? How big and
busy is New Delhi?

S1 (12:45):
It's really busy. Like the traffic is just, like, so noisy.
but I because of like sickness and like everything else,
I wasn't allowed to like, go and explore. We had
to stay inside a big bubble, but like, the food was,
the food was good. We had. Well, I was leaving

(13:05):
myself off. Pizza and pasta.

S2 (13:08):
Is that good for an athlete, Molly?

S1 (13:09):
I mean, I had a pizza the day of my 200, so.

S2 (13:12):
Well, that worked for you.

S1 (13:15):
It's not. It did.

S2 (13:18):
Uh, terrific. I guess there's a sort of, you know,
sacrifice you have to make, aren't you? If you're going
away to places like that, you've still got to look
after yourself because you're you're there to compete first and foremost.

S1 (13:28):
Oh, yeah. Definitely.

S2 (13:30):
Terrific. Well, two silver medals, I guess they, along with
the bronze medal. What a pretty special place. Um, sort
of in your heart, in your memory, and maybe in
your home as well.

S1 (13:39):
Yeah. No, it's really good.

S2 (13:41):
Yeah. Molly, today, depending on when people listen to this,
today is the 18th of October, which might not be
any big deal for for most people. I wonder if
you might know what happened 25 years ago on this day.

S1 (13:55):
Um, I figured that it was the Paralympic opening ceremony.

S2 (14:00):
Oh, Molly. Not only silver medals. You got a gold
star for that question. So well played you. Hey, Molly.
Great to catch up. Uh, we love your energy. We
love your enthusiasm. And obviously the fact that you're doing
so well, we look forward to keeping following your progress.
And thanks for speaking to us today.

S1 (14:18):

S2 (14:20):
That's Molly Love there too. Two silver medals. The love it.
The love or double. Actually that's what you were being
called but you're Molly.

S1 (14:28):
Yeah.

S2 (14:29):
Double.

S1 (14:29):
Yeah.

S2 (14:31):
Double double. Fantastic. Thanks for your time Molly.

S1 (14:33):
Thank you.

S2 (14:35):
Molly Love was there with the two silver medals after
the World Para Athletics Championships just recently held in New
Delhi in India. Well, we've just marked the third Australasian

(14:56):
Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day. Let's chat about it with Shari Stone,
who was recognized on the day. It's great to meet
you and thank you for your time.

S3 (15:04):

S2 (15:05):
How was Tuesday?

S3 (15:07):
Um, honestly, I'm sort of still just taking it all in.
It was. It was good. It was really good.

S2 (15:13):
Did you know much about what was going to happen?

S3 (15:15):
I actually got the phone call, um, the day before.
And the director of Youth justice, Melanie Fernandez, called me,
and I was on the phone rattling off all these
stats and things about our programs. And she goes, hang on,
hang on. It's not actually why I'm calling. I'm calling
because you've been nominated for an award. And and that
in itself, um, took me by surprise and I was like, oh, wow,

(15:35):
that's amazing. And, um, then she said, and you've actually
been successful and won the won the award. So yeah,
it was a bit of a shock. And like I said,
I'm still sort of taking it all in.

S2 (15:44):
Yes, and a few hours to prepare. So what about Tuesday, then? Well,
just a bit about Tuesday itself, then. Just about the day.
As I said, it's the third time we've held such
a day. Tell us a bit about the day and
what its importance is, what its relevance is.

S3 (15:56):
Yeah. So I guess days like that are so, so
important and they really obviously shine a light on the
people that are kind of behind the scenes in these
in these places. And, you know, they're the ones doing
the hard work. They're often unseen. There's lots of, uh,
you know, wheels in motion. And I guess it's a
chance to celebrate, you know, the compassion, the dedication, um,
and all of the work that goes into supporting young people.

(16:18):
So I think it's really important that we have days
to to recognize staff and acknowledge the contributions that they
do make in these young people's lives. So I'm fully,
fully supportive of Days of Recognition. And yeah, it was
it turned out to be a beautiful day.

S2 (16:32):
Now tell us a bit about yourself then. I don't
know how much you want to talk about it, but, uh,
the media release talked about you, uh, you know, starting
your work life as a hairdresser. What sort of a
role did that play and how did you kind of graduate?
If I could put it into this sort of role
that you're doing now?

S3 (16:47):
Yeah. So it is funny, I guess, reflecting and, you know,
being brought to light over the last few days, it's
been quite a nice experience to reflect on my journey.
And like everyone sort of knows now, I started as
a hairdresser quite young, um, age of 15, doing a
school based apprenticeship. And, and I was quite disengaged in school.
You know, I look back now and, you know, I
am quite an academic, but there was something about school

(17:09):
that didn't really keep me there or draw me there.
And so I was looking to work, and I guess
I'm quite a busy body. So I looked into hairdressing
and um, yeah, it just sort of expanded to a
full time role. So I left school and then pursued that.
And now, like reflecting on that, I've learned so many
incredible skills from from hairdressing that I use every day

(17:30):
in my practice in youth justice. And yeah, I think
there's probably a lot of jobs that have those transferable skills,
and we don't really recognize it as much as we
probably should.

S2 (17:39):
What about the fact that you said you were you
felt a bit disengaged at school. How much is that
playing a role in how you communicate with people now?
Because I also note that you talk about, uh, you know,
trust and connection and obviously being able to listen. So
I guess there are things that, uh, maybe you might
have appreciated more back when you were 14 or 15.
Do you think?

S3 (17:59):
Yeah. Well, I guess like now, since taking this journey
in youth justice early in my career, I realized, you know,
there is so much potential, um, to help young people
redirect their lives. And it comes down to whether they're
given the right support and the right role models. And, um,
you know, not everyone, uh, you know, does take the,
I suppose, the right path, but they take a path.
And whether you're on that journey with them in some

(18:21):
capacity and able to support them, uh, in one way
or another is, you know, a win in itself.

S2 (18:27):
What about as far as, uh, the work that you
do now? How did you get into that?

S3 (18:31):
Um, so, funnily enough, you know, I did my hairdressing
career for, uh, probably about 7 or 8 years and, um,
decided that I wanted to do more and wanted to
help people in a different way. I knew that that
was something I was I was good at, I was
passionate about, and, you know, it was fulfilling for me.
So I went down the path of wanting to study. And, um,

(18:51):
I looked at youth work, and the only youth certificate
I found was a certificate three. And I'm a bit
of a high achiever in terms of what I want
to achieve. And, um, it wasn't enough to do that.
So I looked for a diploma, and the only one
available in a diploma was Youth Justice. And I thought, okay,
I'll give it a go. And yeah, I'm so grateful
for whatever led me to youth justice specifically, because it

(19:13):
really is, um, I believe, where, you know, my heart
lies and my passion lies and, um. Yeah, best placement
from that, um, led me to where my journey started
in working and, um, with Red cross and I spent
seven years at Red cross amongst various roles and various, um,
responsibilities in youth justice. And that really was the foundation

(19:34):
of my career. And um continued on and studied a
Bachelor of Social Work. And, um, yeah, that's kind of
where I am now. Senior programs and, uh, loving every
moment of it.

S2 (19:45):
If we go back to when you were, you know,
12 or 13, whatever, was there something that was happening
in your life or someone that influenced you to kind
of have this sort of sense of social justice? Because
that's obviously something you feel very passionately about. And, um,
maybe it might have developed out of hairdressing as well. But,
you know, those sort of things, maybe there's a an
incident or a person that kind of sets you on

(20:05):
that path, or you think, oh, yeah, you know, that
that's kind of cool. I there's more to be done
in this area.

S3 (20:11):
I think, um, it probably was quite the opposite, I think, um,
during probably not that young, but more in my, my
early teen years, I felt, you know, a lack of
belonging and maybe a lack of sense of identity and,
and I didn't know where to turn. I didn't know
who to speak to. And, you know, I guess maybe
that's what directed me to be where I am today.

(20:32):
Because I felt that I didn't know, No. Uh. You
know how to reach out or where to reach out
and to get that guidance. So. Um, I'm not 100% sure.
Like what? Drew drew me there, but, um, maybe that
that sort of it stemmed from there, potentially.

S2 (20:47):
What about the work that you do? And I guess
just in general that's done because often we neglect our
city slickers, if I can put it that way, tend
to neglect people in country or rural remote areas. You know,
there's kids in that area too, that, uh, obviously need
this sort of support and programs like this as well.

S3 (21:04):
Yeah. So I've been so fortunate, like in the, in the. Well,
now it's been ten years since I've worked in youth justice.
I don't know if anyone's calculating my age now, but I've.

S2 (21:13):
Got to say.

S3 (21:13):
I.

S2 (21:14):
I don't believe any of this. I don't believe your
dates anyway. All your years.

S3 (21:19):
Well, maybe it's a little bit messed up. No. Um, no.
I've been very, very fortunate to, um, have been able
to work, like I said, alongside so many different areas
and programs, and it's taken me to so many different
areas of youth justice and, um, particularly which I have
mentioned prior, but, um, working on APY lands, um, for
quite some time. And, and that was such a humbling

(21:40):
experience and it was really beautiful to be, you know,
fully embraced and welcomed into community and to be able to,
you know, get the the authenticity of what some of
the challenges and barriers that our young people are facing.
You know, young Aboriginal people are highly represented in our
youth justice system. And to be able to, um, you know, see,

(22:01):
see them in community and see the challenges that they
face and, and understand that more, more fully was was
really what supported me in, uh, some of the practice
and the work that I do now. And I recognize
that so many people do come from such challenging environments,
and I think their behavior often reflects past experiences. But,
you know, it's not just, you know, natural wrongdoing. So

(22:22):
a lot of our young people have so much potential.
And I guess it comes down to, like I said,
the support and, you know, the opportunities that they are given.

S2 (22:29):
Because you talk about everyone kind of deserves a second chance.

S3 (22:33):
Absolutely. Yeah. So advocating is obviously a big part of, um,
the role that I do. But a lot of many,
like many people in Youth Justice. So, you know, having
having that ability to advocate for our young people and
be their voice is having agency on some of the
decisions that do affect their lives. So, you know, combating
combating some of the challenges and the systemic issues that

(22:55):
we have in youth justice.

S2 (22:56):
I guess, is one of those things where the work
that you're doing, you probably don't realize how good it is,
because probably a lot of it is preventative in terms
of what might have happened if programs and people that
you work with and that you do yourself, indeed, you know,
don't get involved. I mean, as I say, you probably
can't calculate how much preventative work you're doing. And I'm

(23:16):
thinking even in the area of sort of mental health.

S3 (23:19):
Absolutely. Yeah. So like in Youth Justice, it's not just
about responding to the young people's offending. Um, it is
about prevention and creating those pathways to different opportunities before
some of these issues do escalate. We do have a
lot of barriers as workers in youth justice. You know,
we do face a lot of, like I said, systemic challenges.
So there's lots of under-resourced programs or, you know, overrepresentation

(23:43):
of marginalized communities or complex, like you said, mental health, poverty, family,
all of those things that do come into it. But
I think what keeps me here is seeing the passion
of all of the workers in this space. And, and
they show up every single day. And that consistency in
this young, in the young people's lives is is what
really drives me.

S2 (24:04):
There's a little bit of question, sort of without notice
or sort of slightly off topic. You talked about people
that keep turning up each day and obviously having the passion.
And we can tell in your voice how passionate you are.
What about you being looked after as well? Because I'd
say sometimes work can be pretty challenging, and maybe it
could be easier to get a bit down or a
bit negative about things or stuff that you're seeing. Do

(24:25):
you get support in that area as well, both individually
and as as a group of staff?

S3 (24:31):
Absolutely, yes. So we do have services available to us,
but we do have lots of training packages as well
which are available for staff. Um, I see, you know,
many like friend groups and things like that, and they
socialize outside of work. And I think it's really healthy
to have those connections as well. And um, I fully
feel supported in our, in our space. Um, we, I

(24:53):
currently deliver an emotional intelligence and well-being training to some
of our new staff members and our existing staff, and
it does really focus on, um, the extra care that
you do need to give yourself and, and recognize in
others as well. So it is a really, um, wholesome approach,
I suppose, to self-care and, and supporting one another. But yeah, we,
we try and, uh, recognize staff as much as we

(25:16):
can and, and it is, you know, it is a
tough environment to work, work in. Something that I do
like to highlight is, you know, hanging on to those
small wins which actually are really big wins. So, you know,
unlike sales and marketing, where you've got KPIs or certain,
you know, things you need to achieve to to feel
satisfied or like you've reached a goal. But in youth justice,

(25:37):
it's a very different space. And and those essentially those
KPIs are not really existent, but it's the small things
that actually mean the most. And it's like it could
be a young person withdrawing and isolating themselves in their
room for a couple of days or, you know, not
opening up about how they're feeling. And then the next
day they're doing polar opposite, and they do feel comfortable

(25:57):
with you and they are being vulnerable, and they are
engaging in programs because you've encouraged them to get there.
And that's that's enormous. And that is worth every recognition
in the world, because it's that that one step towards
all of those other opportunities for that young person.

S2 (26:14):
That's a wonderful note to end on. Thank you so
much for spending some time with us. I know you've
had lots of requests. I appreciate you granting us permission
to speak to you this. You will keep up the
great work. And again, congratulations on the initiative. But also
congratulations on the work that you and your colleagues all
do because thank you. You know, the youth are our future.
And if we can, you know, help them along the way,
then we're all going to be better off in the

(26:35):
long term.

S3 (26:36):
That's it. Thank you so much for having me. I
really enjoyed it.

S2 (26:38):
Oh that's great. That's a three stone there who was
recognized in the third Australasian Youth Justice Acknowledgement Day held
during the week. And a big thanks to Nat Cook
and also Christian Thompson for helping us get in touch
with Reece and put series to air. During the week.

(27:03):
International White Cane Day really important day. Let's chat about
it with Luke, who's the national manager for policy and
advocacy at Guide Dogs. We'd love to catch up with
you again. Thank you for your time.

S4 (27:15):
My pleasure. Peter, did you have a good International White
Cane Day?

S2 (27:19):
I did have a good international. Why can't I think
there's do too much exciting, but got out and about
a little bit on the street just to show that
I've still got a white cane and hopefully know how
to use it.

S4 (27:27):
Excellent. Good. Good to hear.

S2 (27:29):
What about the messages behind the day? I guess it's
kind of interesting because part of your message, if you like,
was that the general public can kind of help us,
but not be too helpful if they can make some sense.

S4 (27:40):
Guide dogs is calling on people generally, but specifically on
International White Cane Day, to just have a little bit
of a think sometimes when they come across somebody who
is using a white cane, because you all know this
as well as anybody, Peter, that the white cane was
initially made white as a bit of a symbol for rescue,

(28:02):
kind of like a white flag. We also know that
white is very visible, but people who use a white
cane don't always need help, do they? Peter. And so
what we're asking people to do is to have a
little think, take a little step back what might look
like somebody struggling to. You may just be somebody trying

(28:23):
to figure something out. And we're saying that really the
best thing to do. If you're not sure, if you
think that somebody might need help, is to just offer
a hand. Do that, good old Aussie. Do you need
a hand? Is there something I can do? And that
is really what we're saying. Because people. And you'll know yourself, Peter.
People who use a white cane, it's a skillful thing

(28:44):
that they're doing. It's something that is taught, is trained
and practiced. And, you know, it's not something that we
do lightly. A lot of training goes into it, a
lot of consideration around safety, reading the environment, learning the
language of the environment. And so when you do encounter
somebody who is blind or has low vision, who is

(29:05):
using a white cane, they're pretty good at it. We
would love just to see a little bit in the
shift around. That person must need help to, well, how
good that person is at getting around. Oh hang on,
they might need a little help. I'll just go and ask.

S2 (29:18):
Yeah. Just a simple ask is all you need. And
if they say no, well, we can all get on
with our days. What about as far as internationally goes?
You've travelled and are working internationally very successfully. The white
cane is kind of a universal as far as the
globe goes.

S4 (29:31):
It is universal. I think we're seeing some shifts in
recent times where a white cane used to just be
white with a bit of the red, the luminosity around it,
so that it could be seen at night. Internationally, there's
and here in Australia as well, there's a shift for
people to sort of personalise their white canes. And I
think actually that's really interesting in the sense that people

(29:54):
do see these things as extensions of themselves as part
of their identity. And, you know, so you get your
pink canes and you get your jazzed up canes with
tassels and jewels and all sorts to reflect somebody's personality
and all power to people if that's the way they
want to accessorize their mobility aid.

S2 (30:14):
The technique that's used, I think, it's been pretty standard
for as long as we've been around, maybe longer. It's
kind of you're scanning the opposite side of where your
next foot is going to land, if I could put
it that way.

S4 (30:25):
Yeah. That's right. So when you step with your left foot,
you scan to the right. When you step with your
right foot, you scan to the left. But there is
so much more to it than that, though. Like if
you think about going downstairs, you know, not knowing when
that last step is and holding that cane on an
angle so that you detect the ground or going upstairs,
you know, doing that tap thing where you hold it

(30:47):
vertically in front of you and tap on each step
so that you'll know when you hit the top step
or not hit the top step, as the case may be.
Oh yeah, that's it. Because, you know, we know that
there is a tendency by very well meaning people to
try and count steps for us. But I don't know
about you, but I don't believe them, I don't listen,
I don't listen to them when I count steps for me,

(31:08):
I'd like to figure it out myself, because it's often
hard to count steps so well.

S2 (31:14):
Sometimes your stride isn't exactly the same length as it
was last time.

S4 (31:18):
That's right. And you're like, did you count the bottom
step is one or was that the last step? Even
while people are being guided by human guides, a lot
of people are still using their white canes to be
able to detect what goes on around them as well.

S2 (31:35):
What about as far as the technology that's out there
these days? There's a lot out there. But you talked about,
for example, steps and curves, those sort of things. I mean,
a lot of those things, you need the cane or
you need something to be in contact with the ground
to know what's ahead of you.

S4 (31:48):
Yes. Exactly. Right. And technology is changing. I find it
really amazing that something as simple as a stick is
still the primary aid for us to be able to
navigate around our environment. There have been how many would
you say Peter attempts at putting technology into white canes?

(32:09):
Some of them, for some of them not successful, we're
seeing wearables with meta glasses giving us information. We've got
guide dogs. Of course we can't forget them because I
have one of those as well. And we're all kind
of looking for that day where somebody comes to us
with the silver bullet. That's going to be the next

(32:30):
best thing in terms of orientation and mobility technology. I
have a sneaking suspicion that will be using and relying
on our white canes for some time to come.

S2 (32:41):
Well, I think that technology is very good and some
of it is outstanding in terms of what additions it
can be, but it does mean that there's kind of
a split as far as your concentration goes or your
attention to which detail goes as well.

S4 (32:53):
I think that's true. Again, it comes back to training
and Guide Dogs offers training on using a white cane
and various bits of technology around the country as well.
But I think you're right, there are ways that we
need to be able to protect our hearing so that
we can attend to what's going on around us and
keep ourselves safe. There's some really great vibrating technology for

(33:16):
judging distances with obstacles, but you still sort of need
to approach something with a white cane to detect what
it is. And so because those things at this stage
of the game don't yet give you that breadth of information.

S2 (33:30):
And also very helpful as far as getting off and
on public transport goes. I mean, that's such a great
way to travel independently and often not too expensively. The
cane is a very helpful tool as far as getting
off and on buses and trams, trains, etc..

S4 (33:43):
Absolutely. And you know, that's when I will whip out
my white cane. If I'm at a train station that
I don't know very well and I don't know how
wide the gaps are. I will take out my white
cane to measure that gap, rather than just send my
dog into the breach, as it were. So there are
lots of things that I will use it for, even
though my primary mobility aide is a guide dog. If

(34:06):
something recently where we were walking on a section of
our local suburb that was not paved at all. There
was no footpath and she could not figure out how
to get around something. And you know what? Canes fold
up really small. I've got a very lightweight one I
put in my handbag. I just had to pull it
out just to figure out what it was. And it

(34:27):
was actually a mattress, okay. In somebody's front lawn.

S2 (34:32):
Yeah. Well, I guess flummoxed.

S4 (34:34):
The guide dog did not flummox the cane.

S2 (34:37):
It might have been hard rubbish, though. Perhaps not.

S4 (34:39):
Yeah, maybe. Yeah, maybe. Maybe it was. I'm not sure.
But one of the things that that we've done as
part of this week's celebration is we've put together a
bunch of videos of people who are just getting about
in their communities, doing the things that they're passionate about,
pursuing hobbies, pursuing passions, and just happen to be using

(35:00):
a white cane while they do it. So if anybody's
interested in having a look at some of those, they're
on the Guide Dogs Com.au website and if you like them,
please share them, because this is what the other thing
that we are trying to do is educate people in
that sense that, hey, you know, this person is pretty skillful,
getting around.

S2 (35:18):
Something like 450,000 people in Australia, maybe have a low
vision or maybe, you know, be in need of using
a white cane, which I work out with my trusty
calculator to be about 1.67 of the Australian population. So
I guess there's a lot of people that might not
come into contact with someone who might be using one
very regularly. So messages like this are really important for

(35:39):
next time you do see someone.

S4 (35:41):
The one thing that I would love to remind people
to do that is if, for instance, you are an
obstacle to somebody and they're they're coming on you and
they're coming towards you with their white cane sweeping from
side to side, I understand that people panic and people freeze,
and that is totally understandable. So if you can't get
out of somebody's way, just say hi, I'm in your

(36:02):
way or hello, I can't get out of your way
or acknowledge that you know that someone's coming towards you
who can't see. And rather than freeze, just acknowledge it
and say, hey, I'm here. Because that then gives us
an opportunity to go, all right, well, you are now
an obstacle and we are going to navigate or I

(36:23):
am going to navigate my way around you and go
merrily on my way. And it's just a little bit
easier than walking into something and you're not sure where
it is, and you're not sure where they are and
you're not sure how wide they are. If somebody speaks
to you, it just gives you that little bit of
information that you need to be able to navigate and
then be on your way.

S2 (36:42):
Especially if the path is a little bit narrow and
it's not so easy to go left or right for
either you or the other person.

S4 (36:47):
Exactly right. And the other thing is, if you can,
if you see an obstacle like, I don't know, a
scooter that's been left in the way one of our
scooters or a bike or I don't know if you
see someone who's parked a car on the footpath, you
might say, hey, you know, do you need to park
your car there? You know, we could all do a
little bit more to keep our footpaths and our pavements

(37:10):
a little more obstacle free for us all.

S2 (37:13):
Yeah, I think I hear from many of us. Will
be great to catch up again. As you say, people
get a lot more information from Guide Dogs. We've got
show notes. We'll put that link up with our show
notes so people can go there and check it out.
But a belated happy International White Cane Day. Great to
catch up with you and hope we can catch up
again in the future, but brilliant to hear your voice again.

S4 (37:33):
Really lovely speaking with you, Peter. Thanks for having me. On.

S2 (37:37):
Who's the National Manager for Policy and Advocacy does a
wonderful job for Guide Dogs. All that information up with
our show notes.

S5 (37:45):
Hi Kirk Pengilly from INXS here. More than 300,000 Australians
are living with glaucoma. However, half of them. That's right,
over 150,000 Aussies are unaware they have glaucoma because they
haven't had an eye exam. While some people are at
a greater risk of developing glaucoma, such as those with
a family history or simply being over 50. Anyone can

(38:08):
get it. I should know glaucoma wasn't in my family.
I was just 29 at the time, touring with an
excess when I came within an inch of losing my sight.
Up until that point, I had no idea what glaucoma was. Glaucoma,
left untreated, can lead to irreversible blindness, so please get
your eyes tested by an optometrist every two years as

(38:31):
early detection is key. It's quick and easy and it
could just save your sight. Don't let glaucoma blindside your future.
To find out more about glaucoma, go to glaucoma.

S6 (38:44):
Keep in touch with Vision Australia Radio in Adelaide on
1190 7 a.m., in Perth on 990 Am, and in
Melbourne on 1170 9 a.m..

S2 (39:10):
We all wait for the third week of each month
to catch up with our resident counselor, Pam Mitchell. Pam's
on the line. Pam, welcome.

S7 (39:16):
Good morning to you and good afternoon. I'm sorry. Good afternoon, everyone.
That's lovely to be with you again. And I think
spring is showing us that it's leading into summer of
warmer days are here, aren't they?

S2 (39:30):
Certainly are. But anyway, you said good morning. Good afternoon.
I mean, people listening either live in the afternoon or
they listen on podcasts. So it could be in the morning.
So any greeting is appropriate.

S7 (39:40):
I'm glad you got that right.

S2 (39:41):
Yeah that's right. Tell us about your topic for today though. Very,
very timely indeed.

S7 (39:46):
Look, Peter, and everyone listening, I think that we have
some varying discussions on this line and this one is
just in sharing. It also has some facts in it,
but it just is a moment to pause and consider.
We're talking about Mental Health Month today, as well as
a national focus from the beginning of this month to
the 31st of October. Now, we think about that every

(40:09):
day in our lives when we run into people that
are not coping with various issues. But this is where
we put the spotlight more in a defined way on
just how that affects people around us. And just considering that,
and I can't get over just what's happening in our
world right now as we reflect on national, on the
world mental health aspects and what we view in attempts

(40:32):
to create peace in areas that have been so war affected.
And we think a lot about Middle East. But of course,
I think the Russian and Ukraine circumstance never leaves us either.
And all the areas in the Sudanese area, and it's
just a world of constant change and unrest, isn't it?
But how appropriate are thoughts right now with even on

(40:56):
the 2nd of October, it was deliberately focusing on nonviolence.
And here we are in the middle of these talks
that we just hope will hold, you know, is this
at all possible to hold when we see these people
that are being released on either side in countries, and
we just can only imagine for the families, for the partners,

(41:18):
for the parents, the brothers, the sisters, the acquaintances, the
people themselves that have lived in such atrocity, they've been released.
But that's the beginning, isn't it? As we know what
they will go through, being back in their world, in
their environments, to lift up the way they live from
day to day. They are going to need enormous support.

(41:40):
Just putting the spotlight on that for a moment this
morning and thinking of them, thinking about all people in
violent situations wherever you live, whatever country, doctrine or creed
that you believe in. But violence, if people that you
know are living in that circumstance. And I would like
to put in there not just violence of a world status,

(42:01):
but domestic violence on the home front that affects partners,
but it affects children. It affects parents in that domestic
status as well. We think of people that are subjected
in mental health, in aged care environments where the aged
care that they're receiving is at some levels abusive in families,
in institutions. And thank goodness there's more and more hoops

(42:25):
to jump through to ensure that these things don't happen
to our ageing populations, where they don't have a voice
anymore that can't be heard. We think of those people
today as well. We think of people that are aging,
that have people that have been around them and now
are passing on, and they are left and feeling quite alone, isolated,

(42:45):
that they're too much trouble for people. We think of
them in their state and the effect on their mental
health as their anxiety rises in that circumstance, their levels
of depression. Someone said to me the other day, I
don't know whether there's anything to live for anymore. Maybe
my time has passed. That doesn't mean to say I'm

(43:05):
going to suicide, but I think I just am a
burden now. And you think of the world that person's
living in, in this state of health, their mental health.
Mental health means that we have troubles in our life
that are difficult and sometimes beyond us. We've had things
in the past like, are you okay day? And we
still celebrate or acknowledge that every year to reach out

(43:26):
to people. But one of the slogans this year that
I feel is really quite poignant. It's connect with your community,
connecting when it counts. Connecting when it counts is when
it connects within us. That all? Maybe I give them
a ring. Maybe I can help that person. I don't
know them, but maybe I can help them across the road.

(43:46):
They feel like it looks like they're struggling. If we're
wrong about that, Is that wrong? To be wrong? I
think that is just to be able to make peace
with ourselves that we reached out and tried to help.
And if that help is not needed, then that other
person in that circumstance has the right to say, no,
I don't need your help, but at least we can
make peace with ourselves to know that we noticed. And

(44:07):
so connecting when it counts is when it counts for
us to do something about it. The indigenous community has
made an incredible array of calendars in this mental health month.
Things that we can do each day of the month
to build a sense of wellbeing. So they've taken each
particular day and given like a little reminder of how

(44:27):
to look after ourselves more in this month of mental
health awareness. It just is worth going on to Google
and bringing up world mental health, mum and indigenous focus
and you'll see just what they're doing in that regard.
There's so many demographics. As I said, this affects I
have a couple of stories to share. Stories aren't bad,

(44:48):
are they? To connect with. And one is a story
of connecting when it counts with a client that I've
been working with for some time and returned from a
holiday and got the the good old overseas belly saga,
and it said, I can't come to our next appointment because,
you know, I've come home and I'm really quite ill,
and I let that go for a couple of weeks.

(45:09):
And then I thought, oh, I thought I would have
heard because we have this ongoing connection. And I felt
like I shouldn't stall my client. So I left it
for a few days, and then I thought, I need
to connect where it counts. There's something about this that
doesn't doesn't feel right. So I did reach out. It
was amazing. The reaction that I received there was this

(45:32):
immediate relief in her voice. It was like such gratitude
that I had taken that time to connect with her.
It was almost like she felt she was going to
trouble me if she rang a bit too late than
what she should have run. She was almost feeling guilty
for not having contacted me, so I decided not to
contact me at all in case she was burdensome. I

(45:53):
nearly let that go and then when I connected, when
it counted, I realized she would have waited and I
thought if I'd got that wrong, well, she could have
told me. I don't need to talk to you yet.
I'll tell you when I'm ready. And I could have
taken that on the chin. But to wait would not
have been connecting when it counts. There was a real
lesson to me to not wait, but to act. When

(46:13):
that thought is in your mind, in your gut, in
your feeling sense to reach out and do something about it.
So to just something completely different. A person that I've
asked to visit in hospital had collapsed at home. A
coronary effect, had to go into hospital ambulance having to
retrieve him from where he was stuck, from where he'd fallen.
And I was asked if I would go and pay.

(46:36):
This person living totally alone hadn't met this person, but
I walked in and introduced myself and he was just
sitting beside his bed, doing a good job of trying
to be strong, and he shared with me his story
of 31 years ago, when he was advised that he
contracted HIV. 31 years ago, this man sitting beside his bed.

(47:00):
I realized in the few seconds of knowing him, I'd
known him for a long time when he actually described
how he'd been alone. When eventually the ambulance found him
and had to do all sorts of things to leave
him out of the position he was in and get
him to hospital, and how there was hardly anybody else
in his life that would have ever found him. So
it was a miracle that he'd lived. He went through

(47:20):
the miracle of living and couldn't understand why he'd lived
for 31 years. But in that life he'd been basically
victimized for his HIV state, and yet still endured 31
years of living and had been able to find peace
somewhere in his life through someone encouraging him to go
to a church, a faith he didn't know whether he
believed in or not, but went and found acceptance there

(47:43):
and had given him some sense of, okay, maybe I
can feel that I have a sense of belonging. Maybe
some people do care about me. So I asked him,
how can I help you today? He said, can you
please help me with perseverance and strength? I don't know
whether I can do that anymore. And as I sat
there with him, he reached out and I held his hand.

(48:05):
We had a connection there for when it counts for
a first introduction to each other for about five minutes.
There was such a closeness, there was such a knowing
in his eyes that he wasn't being judged. I gained
as much as he gained from having the privilege of
entering his world that day, and knowing that for just

(48:26):
a while his mental health state didn't have to feel different, ostracized, judged,
but sat with and cared for. And I learned a lot.
So today, as we just pause wherever we are, know
that you count. Know that your connection with others can
truly count. And if we get it wrong, we've tried.
We've reached out and that is a blessing in itself.

S2 (48:49):
Thank you so much and I always really appreciate you
sharing your personal stories. They're very powerful and speak very
loudly about what you do. Now, if people want to
contact you 0418 835 767.

S7 (49:02):
Always here Peter and wishing everybody a lovely weekend.

S2 (49:06):
Thanks, Pam. Pam. Pam, Pam, join us at this time
the third week of each month. 0418 835 767. Should you wish
to contact Pam. Well, I've really enjoyed our tour around
Australia with the Catherine Carey who's been with the Workability Expo.

(49:29):
And Catherine is going to another destination. Catherine, great to
catch up again.

S8 (49:33):
Yeah, lovely to chat to you, Peter.

S2 (49:35):
Now, you're probably too young to know the Leyland brothers, Catherine.
But I reckon you could just about be part of
that show.

S8 (49:41):
Oh, no, not too young at all. Not too old
at all. I, um. Yeah, very, very much. Remember the
Leyland brothers and, uh, I really enjoyed touring around Australia.
It's it's fantastic to go to all the different places.

S2 (49:52):
So I was going to say you're kind of following
in their footsteps or in their road tracks actually just
before we talk about Brisbane, which is coming up, uh,
how is Darwin? Because we spoke to you just before
that and we've got, uh, Vision Australia Radio Digital in Darwin.
How did that go?

S8 (50:06):
Yeah. Look, Darwin was great. Um, I think, uh, you know, they,
they often don't get a lot of the tours going
up there. So they were very, very appreciative, um, of
having the roadshow go up there, which was for workability,
which was absolutely fantastic. Yeah. Lots of schools come through. Um,
lots of advice being given. The school kids in particular

(50:27):
are really hungry. They want to be able to work afterwards. Um,
and they really want to understand what that pathway out
of school looks like for them. And I talked to
a teacher who was so excited. One of her kids
had managed to secure an apprenticeship during the expo. So that.

S2 (50:43):
Are fantastic.

S8 (50:44):
Yeah.

S2 (50:45):
Well, that must be, uh, you know, so rewarding when
you know, you you think it happened literally before your
very eyes.

S8 (50:51):
Yeah. No. Absolutely.

S2 (50:53):
Catherine. Because, I mean, without getting too much off the topic,
I mean, often. Well, maybe not good enough, but education
for kids with disabilities is kind of okay, but often
it's that graduation or that transition into employment that can be, uh,
you know, maybe not such a smooth path.

S8 (51:09):
Yeah. Look, absolutely all all of the schools tell us
that that that is a really big challenge, um, for them, um,
and they, they do start really early, you know, around
the country there are different departments of education, and they
all do it slightly differently. Um, but there is a
real concerted effort to make sure that the kids do
transition well and transition into employment, not transition to a

(51:33):
day program or some other path where they're not either
actively engaged in employment or learning of some description.

S2 (51:42):
And you can kind of mix it whichever way you like. But,
I mean, we all kind of like, well, I guess
in the old days you used to get your paycheck, but,
you know, having some financial remuneration for what we do.

S8 (51:53):
Oh, look. Absolutely. It's, you know, it's absolutely vital that
people are, you know, earning fair wages for their work. And,
you know, it goes very much to the heart of
who you are as an individual. If you can have
some financial independence, then you can start to think about,
you know, where do you want to live and and
what supports do you want to bring in and, and
those sorts of things, as opposed to being completely reliant

(52:16):
on someone else to give you all of those things? Um,
you know, your self esteem is, is built into many
of those basic needs being met. Um, absolutely.

S2 (52:26):
And we often say, you know, when you meet someone
or what do you do for a living or what
do you do for work? That's kind of the first
question people ask. And if your answer is, uh, well, uh,
I'm not, then kind of conversation, uh, you know, gets
a little bit awkward.

S8 (52:40):
Yeah, absolutely.

S2 (52:41):
Now you're off to Brisbane. Uh, end of this month
in early November.

S8 (52:45):
Uh, yes, we are. Uh, so actually, we're going to
be up there on the Halloween eve, so.

S2 (52:49):
Oh my goodness. That'll be. Was that good or bad? Uh, organizing. Uh, Katherine,
who's taking the credit for that?

S8 (52:57):
Uh, look, just one of those things with the way
the dates fell, but, um. No. Yeah. Uh, 31st of October,
1st of November will be up in Brisbane.

S2 (53:06):
Okay. Uh, whereabouts? And also for those that, uh, might
have missed our chats, and I think we spoke when
you were in Adelaide back in May. So getting on
towards six months. So you've taken six months to nearly
cover the entire continent. Uh, what does the the Workability
Expo do? And I guess in a sense you've got
kind of two parts to the equation, haven't you?

S8 (53:24):
Yeah. Look, um, so firstly, I'll answer your first question first,
which is whereabouts is it? It's at the Brisbane Convention
and Exhibition Centre. I think most people in Brisbane. Yeah,
know where that is. Um, so that's fantastic. Um, look,
workability expos were all about, um, really ramping up and
focusing in on employment for people with disability and trying

(53:47):
to encourage people to find out what are the options,
what are the pathways that do exist for me? Um,
and having a concentrated effort, um, around that topic, we
have in the past had open employers come into those
events as well. We don't have any for this Brisbane

(54:07):
expo coming up. It's a slightly different format, but all
of the employment service providers who can connect you to
open employers will still be there, and it's definitely worth
coming along and talking to them. And then obviously the
Brisbane Disability Expo more broadly has all of the products
and services, uh, that a person with a disability might

(54:29):
want to, you know, interact with or talk to or
find out some information. Um, obviously, you know, we try
and cover as many bases as we can, but there
are providers you certainly education and training. And that's critical
for people with disability to, you know, in that employment
on that journey. Um, education employment is critical. But you
also you need housing. You might need equipment or age.

(54:52):
You might need um, services like Allied Health services or,
you know, other medical services. You might need products, um,
you might need, you know, new wheelchair or new prosthetic or,
you know, whatever it might be. Um, or it's very
much an ecosystem. Employment is very, very important, but you
need everything around that to, to also be working for

(55:14):
you so that you can, um, then take up any
opportunities that come up around employment. If you can't get
to the place of work because you don't have the
right support worker. Um, those, you know, those are the
challenges that a lot of people without a disability that
just don't think about. They're just like, oh, well, I'm
going to work today. I'll jump in my car and
off I go. Yeah, I'll jump on the train. Yeah.

(55:35):
For a person with disability, it's really an ecosystem. And
those needs are changing all the time. You know, as
you go through different transitions in your life, your needs change.
So it's not a sort of set and forget. It's
an ongoing journey.

S2 (55:48):
And I guess it's the sort of thing where unless
you go to places like this expose like this coming up,
as you say, 31st of October, and you probably don't
know the supports that are out there, and maybe indeed,
you might not even realize that you need the support.
So you could have access to these supports.

S8 (56:04):
Yeah, that's that's true. A lot of people come along and, and,
you know, comment to us that, oh, I didn't I
didn't even know that this was a possibility. I didn't
realize that this was out there. And look, lots of people,
you know, are quite plugged in. Um, but as I said,
needs do change over time. And there's nothing quite like

(56:25):
being able to stand in front of someone and have
a conversation. You know, desktop research is great. Um, you know,
a lot of people are on forums and they're getting information, uh,
but we really see the expo as, as two things.
One is it's that ability to have that face to
face connection and to be able to within the same
building all at the one time, you know, be referred

(56:46):
on to other organizations that are in the building as well.
So you sort of get that conversation going and, you know,
this is what I'm looking for. And they they might say, well,
we've got this for you, but we can't do that.
But I do know that there's another organization and they're
just two booths down. We recommend you go and see
them and you can sort of bounce around in the
expo that's that's, you know, absolutely critical. It's that face

(57:08):
to face contact, um, that you just can't quite get
in that online environment. And we saw that through Covid,
you know. Yeah, people kind of coped along. Um, but
as soon as we were able to get back and
connect people and, you know, humans are very much, you know,
at their at their heart, They want to connect. And
the other thing is like, quite frankly, it's just a
great day out. It's we've got entertainment happening. We've got,

(57:31):
you know, speakers on stage. So you can come, you
can come for the day. Um, you can sit and
listen to a couple of talks, go and wander around
the booths, have something to eat. Um, and then go
back and listen to a couple of other talks or
or watch a performance. So it's very much a day out, um,
as well, which is also lots of lots of fun. And,
you know, getting out in the sunshine and, and walking

(57:51):
around is, you know, great for everyone.

S2 (57:54):
Those are both the 31st and then November the 1st
as well.

S8 (57:58):
Yes. Correct. So 9 to 3 both days. You don't
need to have pre-booked but you can if you want to,
you know just Google Brisbane Disability Expo. You'll find as
we come up the top um and you can register
online just does make getting into the building um in
in the doors a little bit quicker. We will just
be able to scan your QR code and then you go, um,
but if that's too much for you, don't worry. Just

(58:20):
turn up on the day in one of our friendly
staff or volunteers can help register you and and get
you on in.

S2 (58:26):
And yeah, it's free. Yeah, that's the best, best news
to last. Now, we'll get you back in a few
weeks time because you're going to Melbourne later on in
the month. You haven't travelled enough. So you're going, oh, sorry.
Later on in November.

S8 (58:38):
Yes, later on in November. And I would say we
do have a virtual event coming up as well. And
that's on the 2nd December, which is the day before
International Day.

S2 (58:46):
Okay.

S8 (58:47):
All right. And that is a specific workability virtual event. So,
you know, whilst we have been travelling around, there are many, many,
many places we just can't get to. Um, so yeah,
that virtual event would be great for, for anyone who
hasn't been able to come along to one of our
in-person events.

S2 (59:04):
Well, next time we speak to you, we'll talk about
both Melbourne and that virtual event, because as you say,
for those people who can't get there for various reasons, uh,
they've got the opportunity to be there virtually. Catherine, keep
up the great work. And that's lovely news about that
story in Darwin. That kind of warms all our hearts. heart.
So that sort of stuff that gets everyone up the
next morning isn't to to go back into it.

S8 (59:25):
Yeah. Fantastic. Lovely to chat to you Peter, and look
looking forward to talking to you next time.

S2 (59:30):
Catherine Kerr they're doing wonderful work. Uh, for that, uh,
Workability Expo. We'll put those details up on our show notes.
And as always, if you have difficulty accessing those show notes,
call us here at the radio station and we'll pass
on the details. I'm really delighted to welcome to the program,

(59:55):
doctor Ellie Cutler, who's a psychiatrist and is also the
founder for the clinic. Ellie. Yeah, thanks so much for
your time. And welcome.

S9 (01:00:01):
Thanks for having me, Peter.

S2 (01:00:03):
Now you use a psychedelic therapies for people with, uh,
trauma or people with depression.

S9 (01:00:09):
Absolutely. So, um, we've opened a clinic that, uh, does
specialize in psychedelic assisted therapy for people with trauma, as
you said, and depression, and also people with addictions who
have underlying trauma and depression.

S2 (01:00:23):
And how have you come up with this kind of therapy,
this kind of way to treat people?

S9 (01:00:28):
So it's been years in the making, actually, Peter, and
your listeners might be interested to know that Australia is
actually the first country in the world that has rescheduled
these medicines for people with these types of conditions. And
so we've been, I guess, at the forefront in Australia,
advocating for many years and being involved. And so it
kind of just came naturally, I guess, out of an

(01:00:50):
outgrowth of that, to open a clinic that specializes with
these things.

S2 (01:00:54):
I guess when someone hears or sees psychedelic therapy, it's like, oh,
you know, you can't do that, or how can that work?

S9 (01:01:02):
Yeah. And, um, there is uh, still it is lessening,
but there is somewhat of a stigma around psychedelic assisted
therapy because of the substances. But it's important for people
to know that in Australia these substances are given as
part of therapy. So there's lots of therapy that goes
into this. Uh, and because of that, it's a very,
very different experience than, than people have when they might

(01:01:26):
take a psychedelic at a party or with friends. It's
a very, very different experience because psychedelics tend to magnify
whatever the mind is focused on. And so if people
are focused on getting better and working through their issues,
then psychedelics magnify that and allow people to work through
underlying difficulties, depression, trauma, those types of issues.

S2 (01:01:49):
So it's part of a broader approach if you like.

S9 (01:01:51):
Yeah, it's it's it's part of a therapy. And by
that I mean what I mean by therapy is it's
not simply symptom control. A lot of psychiatric treatments these
days are about symptom control. So, you know, I'm anxious.
Let's get you less anxious. I'm depressed. Let's get you
less depressed. This is about people actually working through their
underlying issues which cause these types of difficulties. And that's

(01:02:14):
what I mean by therapy.

S2 (01:02:16):
Recently set up the Journey Clinic. Um, tell us a
bit about how successful your treatment is. And I'm assuming, obviously,
you had to go through things like the TGA and
all those sort of, um, hoops to jump through, if
I could put it that way, to, to be clear,
to do things like this.

S9 (01:02:31):
Absolutely. So there's a lot of safety protocols that we
put in place. We're very careful and we have to
get permission from actually both the TGA and university research
ethics committees. So it's all very tightly regulated as it
should be. And we've jumped through all those hoops and um,
we're actually only opening in a couple of weeks. So

(01:02:52):
we don't have data yet about our, um, our patients.
But I can tell you that in the research so far,
the results are promising for issues such as depression, trauma,
whether they underlie addictions or they don't underlie addictions. But
it's a great new option for people that are stuck
in these difficulties where psychiatry can run out of options

(01:03:14):
reasonably quickly. And so it's a beautiful and powerful new
option for people that are stuck in the with these conditions.

S2 (01:03:21):
I guess often if you're in that sort of situation,
you're looking for something different. What I've tried hasn't worked. Yeah.
What else is there? What's new? What else can I
go to?

S9 (01:03:30):
That's right. And, um, unfortunately, in psychiatry, as as people
who have psychiatric conditions that are listening will know the
options actually aren't aren't fantastic in psychiatry. People do run
out of options reasonably quickly, and the current treatments actually
don't work for a majority of people in our current

(01:03:51):
psychiatric treatments. And that's what the evidence shows that a
majority of people don't get better. So it's really important
that there are new and powerful options out there for people. Yeah,
I've read this term.

S2 (01:04:01):
Uh, treatment resistant depression. I mean, that that that seems
pretty serious.

S9 (01:04:06):
Yeah, it's a very interesting term because it suggests that
the issue is with the depression or the person with
the depression. And so I actually personally don't like that
term because I would suggest that what the real issue is,
is that our treatments are not particularly good. Um, so
if you have a condition where the treatments aren't very good, um,

(01:04:27):
you could look at the condition and call it treatment resistance,
or you could look at the treatments and say, well,
hang on, potentially the treatments aren't fantastic. And so I
choose to do the latter. Uh, which is why, um,
I don't particularly like that term treatment resistant depression, because
it can also give people potentially a sense of hopelessness about. Yeah, yeah. Um,

(01:04:47):
and I've always thought that, uh, people with chronic depression, addictions,
trauma can actually get better. And by better, I actually
mean heal, not just symptom control. So for me, that
whole paradigm of treatment resistant depression, you know, don't connect
with it that much.

S2 (01:05:05):
Uh, well. Well said. No, I appreciate that. So what
about in terms of when your clinic opens and sort
of getting people to, to to come to it? Uh,
do you think that'll be an issue, or do you
think people will be welcoming of such an opportunity?

S9 (01:05:18):
Well, so far, so good. I mean, there is an
interest and I, I think that sadly, because a lot
of people suffer, a lot of people are suffering with
their psychiatric conditions and people are interested in new, uh,
new treatments for these types of conditions, you know, depression, trauma,
addictions that they haven't been able to escape from. And so,

(01:05:39):
so far, there's been a very positive response. Well, Ellie, you're.

S2 (01:05:42):
The psychiatrist, but I'm kind of thinking in 2025, there's
so much stuff out there that can make us depressed,
that can add to anxiety that, you know, what you're
offering is probably never been more needed, if I could
put it that way.

S9 (01:05:56):
Yeah. And I think there are very significant social, uh,
reasons why there's so many of us suffering so much, including,
I think, the idea that we don't really as a
society value taking time to buy ourselves feelings, emotions. You know,
these important parts of us tend to be suppressed and

(01:06:19):
distracted from. And so I think there are broader social
reasons as well.

S2 (01:06:24):
Ellie, will you be working just with adults? I'm thinking
that there might be a, you know, maybe a parents
or carers with kids in, in the teens that might
be in this sort of situation of thinking, well, you know, my,
my child could, could benefit from something like this or
at least sort of be investigated.

S9 (01:06:43):
Yeah. So at the moment in Australia, these treatments are
for people that are 18 and over. There's a lot
of research going on around the world at the moment
in all different areas, different ages, different conditions. But yes,
at the moment in Australia it's for people 18 and over.

S2 (01:06:59):
As I said, when you hear psychedelic therapy, you think,
oh gee, you know what? What, what are we getting
ourselves in for? But I guess in terms of, um, well,
we talked about the TGA, etcetera, but the, the quality
of the, the medication that you're using would all be,
you know, tested to the nth degree.

S9 (01:07:14):
Absolutely. It's medicinal grade. And like you suggested, the TGA
actually went over all the evidence and decided that there
is sufficient evidence for both its efficacy and also its
safety for for Australians to be eligible for the treatment.
So if anyone's worried, hopefully that will allay their concerns. And,

(01:07:34):
you know, really, I think people should think of psychedelics
as powerful medicines that allow them to explore themselves and
open up different aspects of themselves that otherwise would be
shut off to them. And it really all chronic psychiatric conditions,
to my mind, revolve around people not being able to
access certain parts of themselves because they're too scary, too painful, etc.

(01:07:58):
they're too overwhelming. And psychedelics really allow us to do that,
to explore ourselves. And that can be very, very healing
for many people.

S2 (01:08:07):
And we're going around Australia on the Vision Australia radio
network and the Reading Radio Network. You're based in Melbourne.
I mean, if people are listening who aren't in Melbourne, uh,
I mean, obviously they can contact you or get in
touch with the clinic, uh, is a kind of a
living situation. Or can people visit on a regular basis?
How does that or how will that work?

S9 (01:08:28):
So we have both. We have a residence, we have
residential stays for people with addictions and for people without addictions.
We can help organise local accommodation.

S2 (01:08:39):
And I know you're very passionate about this. So just
over five minutes we spent with you can show that up.
But you're also very keen to kind of, um, you know,
get younger doctors or other doctors or other professionals involved
in this as well, like kind of, uh, make it
a bit of a broader movement.

S9 (01:08:54):
Absolutely. Um, you know, the stigma with psychedelics is decreasing,
as I mentioned. But, you know, doctors are members of
society as well. And so the the stigma can relate
to medical professionals as well. And so I've been involved
in and I continue to be involved in a lot
of education around psychedelic assisted therapy for doctors and for

(01:09:18):
the community, and I.

S2 (01:09:19):
Guess for psychiatrists and for doctors in general. If what
they're doing isn't working like the patient, they're probably saying, well,
hang on, what else is there that we can try?
This hasn't worked. It's it's conclusively not doing what we'd
like it to do. Where to next? I mean, doctors
and psychiatrists professionals would think the same as the patient
in a sense.

S9 (01:09:38):
Absolutely. And I've been there and it is difficult. It
is difficult. And, you know, one thing that seems to
work over the long term for myself anyway is long
term therapy. But that is very expensive and it's very
time consuming. And not everyone can engage in long term therapy.
And not all psychiatrists and psychologists are trained in long

(01:09:58):
term therapy. And so it is, as we mentioned before,
a powerful new option for people that they may consider. Well, I.

S2 (01:10:07):
Guess it's something for people to consider. I was going
to ask you about the cost, etc. it's probably too, uh,
too difficult a topic to kind of cover in a
couple of minutes on the radio. Uh, in the meantime,
if people do want to get in touch and we
wish you well with your opening, and I think you
know anyone that's a bit innovative, that's a bit out
there as far as thinking goes, they deserve at least
a go. And you, you've, as we said, jump through

(01:10:28):
all the hoops. So this is going to be something that, uh,
has been cleared by the authorities. If people do want
to find out more, what's the best way to do that? Well, they.

S9 (01:10:36):
Can jump on the internet. There's a website, The Recovery Journey.
Com.au or give us a call on one 800 601.

S2 (01:10:45):
All right Joe, we'll just grab that details again. So
and what we'll do we'll put them up with our
show notes. So if people have missed it, uh, they
can uh, go to our show notes and they can
always call us at the radio station. But the website
again is.

S9 (01:10:57):
The recovery journey. Com.au. Your phone number one 800 600, 111.

S2 (01:11:03):
Alright, pretty easy to remember Ellie. Great to meet you.
Congratulations on the initiative. Uh, it's always good to speak
to people who think a bit different to the conventional person.
So it sounds like you're one of those people. And
hopefully we can maybe catch up with you again in
the future. Be good to catch up with you in
a few months time, and see how the first few
months of your practice being open goes, and what sort
of results you're getting.

S9 (01:11:24):
I'd love to do that. Thanks so much for your time, Peter.

S2 (01:11:26):
It's talk, Ellie.

S9 (01:11:27):
That it's something.

S2 (01:11:28):
A little bit different, but certainly well worth promoting and
well worth talking about because sadly, there are a lot
of people with issues that, uh, Doctor Ellie is dealing with.
So we'll put those details up with our show notes.
But great Doctor Ellie to join us today. Well, I'm

(01:11:49):
sure you all want to look after your pets and
maybe something to be on alert about. Let's chat about
it with Doctor Michael Yazbek, who's from green CrossFit. Michael,
great to meet you and thanks for your time.

S10 (01:11:58):
No worries. Thanks for having me.

S2 (01:11:59):
Now, is this something that's a bit more prevalent during
the warmer months?

S10 (01:12:03):
Yeah, absolutely. It's something we traditionally think about in spring
and summer, but we are finding in particular areas where
it can be warmer year round, it's important to kind
of think outside the typical tick season and just be
always on alert.

S2 (01:12:15):
And we're talking about paralysis ticks.

S10 (01:12:17):
Yeah, absolutely. Paralysis ticks. It's one of the things that
you know, uniquely particularly in Australia, we need to worry about,
especially on the East coast. But all those warmer areas
where there's, you know, bushland along the coast, there are
places that we need to worry about. But yeah, it's
a deadly parasite, something every pet owner needs to be
aware of, cat and dog especially, and just have it
at the forefront of our minds as we go through
the tick season.

S2 (01:12:37):
What about in terms of warnings? Or, you know, if
something was to happen, as in getting bitten by one
of these ticks, do we have much warning or do
we have much time to kind of act?

S10 (01:12:45):
The good thing is that once the tick latches on
and starts to feed, they're injecting the toxin, and it
usually takes a few days before we start to see signs.
So the best thing we can do is one be
on tick prevention because once they bite, then the ticks
will die. Or you know, there are some products that
will repel them without having to buy it. But yes,
if we're being really diligent and checking our dogs and

(01:13:06):
cats fur for ticks, we can get them off before
they've had a chance to cause clinical signs. So it's
one of those things that even when they've got tick
prevention on board, we should still be checking, because noticing
it before they become affected can literally save their life.

S2 (01:13:20):
Well, I was going to ask, how serious can it be?
I mean, paralysis obviously is pretty serious given the fact
that it might take a few days. What are some
of the symptoms and what can be done if you
know things have gone too far? If I could put
it that way.

S10 (01:13:31):
It's definitely deadly if left untreated. So basically what happens
is the tick latches onto the pet and injects a
toxin that paralyzes the muscles. And at the beginning it
might be subtle. It could just be that they're a
little bit weak, they might be a bit wobbly. So
they're trying to walk, but they seem a bit drunk.
But then that kind of progresses to complete paralysis where
they can't move. We can see changes in their voice,

(01:13:53):
so their bark might sound a bit different, or they
meow might sound a bit different. And then the scary
thing is, once we get paralysis of the muscles responsible
for breathing, they can get respiratory fatigue. And particularly with dogs,
when the muscles of the throat become paralyzed and they
can't swallow properly, they can aspirate and then they can
get pneumonia from that. And that's quite a deadly complication.
And so it's kind of progresses in these few days

(01:14:15):
after they get bitten to basically a life threatening situation.
But yes, we can intervene the earlier the better, because
the main thing we can do once they're affected is
give them an antitoxin. But it's only effective in binding
the toxin that hasn't yet caused an issue. So that's
why time is so important.

S2 (01:14:32):
So is there kind of a long term problem even
if it's caught early? I'm thinking in terms of is
there sort of residual impact from getting the paralysis.

S10 (01:14:40):
The earlier the better. And usually they can often make
a complete recovery. But in saying that depending sometimes you
think they're going to be okay and they're not. And
other times, you know, the prognosis is really guarded because
they might need to go on a ventilator. There might
be days and days in hospital and it honestly, it
can be quite costly once they're needing that critical care
on a ventilator. And when you think about the cost of,
you know, monthly parasite prevention, it's it's just a no

(01:15:03):
brainer to keep them protected.

S2 (01:15:04):
Well, what about the prevention? You know, an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure or whatever the
saying is. How does it sort of go? What are
the preventative measures we can take?

S10 (01:15:13):
There are lots of different options. And back when I
started as a vet about ten years ago, I was
seeing tick paralysis more. But then since these new products
came out, I definitely saw it a lot less, which
is great. But basically there's monthly products you can give orally,
there's topical products, so you can squeeze a little bit
of liquid on the back of their neck, and it
absorbs in the fur. There are products that you can
give every three months or six months, and there are

(01:15:35):
injections that you can give annually. So it's about picking
something that works for you and your budget and your
preferred regime, but importantly just sticking to it correctly. So
if it's a monthly product, which is what I'm using
for my dogs at the moment, I've got it in
my calendar and it's to the day every month, because
if I lapse, then there's a window of unprotected time
that they can become affected by ticks and that would

(01:15:57):
be devastating.

S2 (01:15:58):
What about in terms of how effective it is and
how safe it is? The prevention?

S10 (01:16:02):
Yeah, really, really effective. So much so that if I'm
on the fence about whether a particular presentation is a tick,
and I know that they're on one of these really
good products and it's been given recently, I'm a lot
less suspicious that it's going to be no product is 100%,
but it's in the high 90s. So they are really
good and they're largely safe. Like with any product, sometimes
there can be some adverse effects, like for the oral products,

(01:16:25):
it might be a little bit of tummy upset sometimes
for the topical products it might be a bit of
skin irritation, but I definitely don't see them the majority
of the time, and if so, they're usually mild and
we can often try another product on the market instead,
just treating everyone individually.

S2 (01:16:39):
They talked about cats and dogs. Are they the pets
most at risk or are they the only pets at risk?
And what about in terms of spreading from pet to pet.
If you've got a couple of dogs, there are a
couple of cats. One gets it. It's the other one
at risk.

S10 (01:16:51):
Cats and dogs are the main ones we're talking about,
and they're the animals that we have these parasite prevention
products available for. But I'm not so concerned about them
catching them from each other. It's more when they go
into these environments where there are paralysis ticks, like in
these bushy areas on the East Coast particularly, they're likely
just getting it from the environment and they're latching on
while they're really small, so they can be hard to see.
And as they feed, they become bigger and bigger and

(01:17:12):
a bit more obvious. So most of them will latch
around the the front half of the the body, so
around the head and the neck. So it's really hard
to see them sometimes. So you just got to use your,
your fingers and kind of pick between running look with
your fingers essentially, and just feel something that could feel
like a little scab at first. Even then you part
it and then if you see a tick there, then
you know, to take it off and and head down

(01:17:32):
to the vet.

S2 (01:17:33):
Good tip. What about as far as the humans? You're
picking it up and handling it, if you like. Any
danger to humans.

S10 (01:17:39):
Removing it isn't too dangerous to us. Obviously, humans can
be affected by a number of ticks, but basically you
can use tweezers or use little devices that assist in
removing the tick from the pet. And removing it itself
isn't a concern to us, so that's fine. So there's
lots of areas that are of particular concern. So there's
new research that Petbarn and Greencross have undertaken. And the

(01:18:02):
data shows that a lot of the East Coast is
affected at really high levels at the moment. And we
know that. And this shocked me. About 10,000 pets are
affected every year. I was really surprised to see that.
But they also found that most pet owners are not
protecting their pets consistently. So that was a bit that
I was worried about because as a vet, I treat
a lot of diseases. Not all of them are treatable
or preventable, but this is one that absolutely is. So

(01:18:25):
I just think raising awareness for it is so important.

S2 (01:18:27):
In terms of breeds that might be more at risk
or less at risk. No such thing. If they're out
in the bushes area, then potentially they're at risk.

S10 (01:18:35):
It's fair game for everyone. Some pets aren't as robust,
and if they've already got pre-existing conditions or they're a
bit older or, you know, some a lot of the
flat faced breeds like bulldogs and pugs. They already have
difficulty breathing, and so if you add some paralysis to that,
they're going to be affected more. So every dog can
get it. But if they've already got pre-existing conditions, they're
going to have a harder time getting through.

S2 (01:18:55):
We're going around Australia on the Vision Australia radio network, Michael,
to most states and of course online we go everywhere anyway.
But you're talking mainly about people in Queensland and New
South Wales, or mainly people with pets in Queensland and
New South Wales.

S10 (01:19:07):
Yeah. So there's this online tool. It's called Pet Watch.
So you can go to the website and it's free.
You can basically look at real time data. And so
what it's shown is that the central coast of New
South Wales, so that's including Gosford and Lake Macquarie is
the number one hotspot at the moment. But we're also
seeing high risk activity across western Sydney, the Northern Rivers
and the Southern Highlands. But as you say, Queensland, the

(01:19:30):
Gold Coast hinterland, Gympie and Ipswich are major concern zones.
And the reason is they're just they're warm, humid, there's
bushland near the coast, so it's just the perfect storm
for these ticks to texts are strike.

S2 (01:19:41):
Storm in more ways than one.

S10 (01:19:43):
Yeah, absolutely.

S2 (01:19:44):
The wetter seasons, as they kind of contribute to the
humidity and the greater propensity for it to be around.

S10 (01:19:50):
You know, the combination of wet, humid and hot is
the key. And so traditionally, you know, it might be
spring and summer, but in the warmer areas we typically
start to see it. I mean, New South Wales in
August we start to worry about it. Okay. I think
in Queensland you just need to be prepared that it
can be any time because it's warmer up there and
more humid.

S2 (01:20:07):
Is the app covering all of Australia? I'm thinking of
people that might be in, say, Western Australia or indeed
the Northern Territory.

S10 (01:20:12):
Yeah, the watch, it covers all of Australia and it
also looks at other parasites. It looks at heartworm and
intestinal worms too. So in areas where paralysis isn't a
huge concern, the Pet Watch online tool can be useful
at just understanding the risk threat for other common parasites
as well. So it's a handy tool. It comes up
in red in those really high risk areas. And it
you know, you can zoom right into the suburbs. I
was having a look the other day and it is

(01:20:34):
quite surprising some unexpected zones pop up and you think, oh,
it's it's good to know, particularly if you're travelling. traveling
and just knowing, you know, if you're unfamiliar with the
place that you're going. Just understanding the local risk and
threats around.

S2 (01:20:45):
Terrific. Alright. And Android and Apple both are available on
those devices.

S10 (01:20:50):
Yeah. You can just go on to your browser. It's
just an online tool. It's a Google pet. Watch or
go through the pet website and then you'll find it.
And it's a really easy to use map that you can, um,
zoom in on.

S2 (01:20:59):
Prevention is very important. I guess if we can be aware,
that's kind of a form of prevention itself, isn't it?

S10 (01:21:04):
Absolutely. Yeah. Awareness is is the most important thing to
start off with.

S2 (01:21:08):
Well, we want to make sure that everyone has a
safe summer. So thanks for the tip off and we
appreciate you speaking to us Michael.

S10 (01:21:13):
No worries at all. Thanks so much.

S2 (01:21:15):
That's Doctor Michael Yazbek there from Greencross Vets. We'll put
those details up with our show notes. But it's a
very important news, particularly with the holiday time and the
warmer and more humid weather coming up in some parts
of Australia. That paralysis tick something to be very much
aware of, but there is certainly some very good preventative
actions that you can take. If I may be just

(01:21:46):
a little self indulgent on this day. 25 years ago,
as we touched on with Marley, the opening ceremony of
the Paralympic Games. In fact, at this minute, almost to
the very second, we will prepare to broadcast the opening
ceremony of the Paralympic Games from Sydney. So wonderful memories.
And as that old saying goes, where has that time gone?

(01:22:09):
I'll tell you what, it's on tomorrow club, call it
the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel doors opened about 10:30 in the morning, 11:00,
something like that. Through to about 2:30 in the afternoon.
Great food, wonderful music, great company, excellent entertainment. A great
day out if you want to get along. The Governor
Hindmarsh Hotel. If you want more details, give Andrew Kyprianou

(01:22:31):
a call 0408 848 649. You don't have to book. You can
just rock up to the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel from about 10:30.
The doors open until about 2:30 in the afternoon. Should
be a great day. Club called the third Sunday of
every month. Now a couple of birthdays, in fact three birthdays.

(01:22:53):
Eric Horry having a birthday and wonderful things on the
water for our Paralympic team. Happy birthday to you Eric.
Also Ella Sabljak a wonderful athlete in the sport of
wheelchair rugby, also very much involved with the Athletes Commission
and helping as far as mental health of our athletes goes.
Happy birthday to Ella and Lani Yearby having a birthday. Lani,

(01:23:16):
a wonderful, talented artist. I find out soon what she's
got planned for the French festival, but has done some
wonderful writing of plays and performing of plays at the
French in the past. So happy birthday to you, Lani Yearby.
A couple of quotes before we go. Stefan has set this.
was a riddle through from International White Cane Day. We

(01:23:37):
spoke about that with Lee earlier. Stefan Riddle is, why
can't the white cane be used to accompany an orchestra
or musicians? The answer, Stefan says, is because they never
stick to the beat. All right. Thank you, Stefan, for yours.
A little bit topical. Maybe a little bit obtuse, but
we appreciate that. And to quote through from Marlene, who says,

(01:24:01):
just because a person lacks use of their eyes, it
doesn't mean they have no vision. So, Marlene, thank you
for your quote. That's it for the program. Sam Richards, author,
Algal Blooming I think, celebrating Heidi Richards birthday. So we
give Sam the day off, but we still say a
very big thank you to Pam Green for a tremendous support.

(01:24:23):
And James and Cam, thank you so much for helping
us put the program together. Didn't miss a beat as
you always do was you always don't depending on which
way you want to look at it. So thanks so
much for your help. It's very much appreciated. Reminding you
that Leslie is available wherever you get your favorite podcast.
If you like the program, tell a friend. If you
don't tell two. Now, if you're listening through 1190 7 a.m.

(01:24:47):
in Adelaide, coming up very shortly. Everyone knows about it.
You can still tell more people. Vicki Cousins is here
with Australian Geographic's ready, willing and more than able. Be
kind to yourselves, be thoughtful and look out for others.
All being well. Leslie. Back at the same time. Next
week on Vision Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network.

(01:25:11):
This is leisure week.

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