27 Sep 2025

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:48):
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(01:12):
A big hello to you. And if you're listening to
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a big thanks and hello to Disability Media Australia for
their tremendous support. You can get leisure link there plus
lots of other information. Just go to Power Media. Power media.
Regardless of whether your team won or lost today you're

(01:35):
on a winner because you've tuned in to Leisure Link.
This program coming to you from Greenland. Thank you for
making time to tune in. Today we'll talk to Tricia
Crockford about netball. We'll catch up with Renee Capps talking
about the Ms. Society going into voluntary administration. We'll also
speak to Angela Sosnowski, who's coming to Techfest October 9th

(01:57):
from quantum ROV. Alison Davies will join us. Music therapist.
Talk about melodic mantra. What is it? Who can it help?
We'll also speak to Julia O'Riordan from carers SA. The
expo happening on October the 2nd. Your personal invitation to
attend is just moments away. Also, speak to Lisa Smith

(02:18):
about a very important topic stem cell donation. You may
be able to save a life. We'll have yoga from
Reva Bryce, an adjunct professor. Denise Wood from USC will
also be here. If you're looking for a new phone,
a watch or glasses. Denise has got some news for you. Well,

(02:38):
our mighty Rubies, our netball team are back from the
little OLM Shield. Let's find out how they went and
catch up with our coach, Tricia Crockford. Tricia.

S2 (02:47):
Great to catch up, as always.

S3 (02:48):
Always, Peter. Lovely speaking with you. And, um, chatting all
things rubies.

S1 (02:54):
How did you go and what did you come back with?

S3 (02:57):
So we went very well. Um, we came back with
a bronze medal. And, uh, always we want to go
and come back with a gold. But that wasn't the
case this year. I felt like we did have the
team to do that, but you just don't know on
the day at the moment who's going to perform and
who's going to get stage fright. And we had a

(03:19):
couple of our players who, um, just felt like they
couldn't get the job done on the day due to
nerves or, you know, overexcitement all of those things. But
I do think that we actually had the team on
paper to match the team who won, which was New
South Wales. So it was the same as last year.
So New South Wales won gold, Victoria silver and SA

(03:42):
won the bronze.

S1 (03:44):
Now I think we had 1 or 2 new players
from uh past years joined the joined the squad.

S3 (03:49):
We had a couple of players that returned who haven't
been in the squad for a couple of years, and
we had one new one that travelled with us and, um,
she just slotted in. You would not know that she
was the new girl. Um, she came with a carer,
which was something new for the rubies. We haven't had
carers come in the past. So it was really great

(04:10):
that she was given that opportunity with her carer to
just see what the whole environment is like. She accepted
obviously the programme, she thrived in the programme, her relationship
with the girls just grew and her confidence, um, was outstanding.
So we welcome her back. Um, as long as well

(04:32):
as obviously a lot of new ones that we hope
to get for next season.

S1 (04:36):
I guess for a personal growth point of view, a
different sort of, uh, complex situation, not so much complex situation,
but a different set of situations for you as well
as the coach to kind of have that, uh, sort of,
you know, situation to take into account.

S3 (04:50):
Absolutely. We, I guess, as the rubies have been quite
lucky in that our girls are fairly able and, um,
you know, whilst we still guide them and help them and,
you know, nurture their time away because it can be
quite daunting, you know, being in hotels and navigating lifts
and remembering their room numbers and remembering what time to

(05:12):
be back in a coach's room or a manager's room,
and what time is dinner and what times. You know,
it's it is quite overwhelming. So to have, um, a
carer there for our player this year I guess, put
not only us but obviously the carer at ease, um,
over the player. Given that it was her first time,
she hasn't travelled before on her own. So knowing, you know,

(05:37):
she needed to know what the environment was about. Also
being on a plane, she hadn't been on a plane
since she was two years old and she's now 22,
so that can obviously be very overwhelming. Um, at the
best of times for people, let alone someone who may
have an intellectual disability. So, um, for us, it was
actually really good. Um, having her there, she was able to,

(05:58):
you know, take care of medication and any sort of
little anxieties that were around. But in the same token,
the way our accommodation was set up, the carer could
be just sort of in the next room. Um, and
the girl could just flourish with her teammates and just
be a normal player like all the rest of the people,
not having anyone there to watch her if you like.

(06:22):
So yeah, it was a huge growth for her. Um,
but I think she's, you know, truly accepted it and
I have no doubt in my mind she'll be back
next year.

S1 (06:32):
And great that, uh, because of that, someone else gets
included in a competition like this, in a program like this.

S3 (06:38):
Oh, 100%. And, um, you know, we obviously welcome everyone
every year. There are certain criteria that the athletes do
need to meet to be able to participate at the
Murray Little Shield, and that is across all the entire, um,
states and territories. So but for this person, you know,
just arriving at Nissan Arena, which is where we played

(07:00):
in Brisbane this year, just, you know, being then inundated
with girls from other states who knew myself, knew other players,
you know, they run up and they're screaming with excitement
and they're hugging and there's our ball player.

S1 (07:17):
Yeah.

S3 (07:18):
Just frightened. So we had to sort of let a
couple of the coaches know that she was new, and
she was just trying to absorb the environment. And even
with us coaches, in our very first game, we played
Northern Territory and, um, we knew that we would have
quite a comfortable win, but we set the player up
on our girl who was very gentle, who was very kind,

(07:41):
so that it just gave her the opportunity to settle
into a new court against a different team that she's
never seen before, because it was well outside of what
she'd seen in South Australia. Um, you know, obviously also
some indigenous players, um, which was something she hadn't experience
playing against. So as coaches, we did that. Um, yeah.
And it worked perfectly. And like I said, she loved

(08:04):
the tournament. She loved what the whole thing was about
as long as her carer. And definitely no doubt in
my mind that she's going to be a player to
watch in the future. Um, as well as obviously coming
back out to trial next year.

S1 (08:17):
I'd be interested to see how she progresses both on
and off the court. You know, in terms of that
experience and what it means for her going forward. I mean,
just 22 so years and years ahead of her and
an experience like this that could really set her up
for life as far as, you know, really, uh, living
a much fuller life.

S3 (08:33):
Absolutely. And and that's what the rubies. Um, I think
once you've been involved, you really understand that this is
more than netball. Yeah, obviously, you know, I'm accredited coach,
and I love doing what I'm doing. And I'm passionate
about seeing these players thrive in netball. But over the
years and I think I worked out I'm up to
14 now. Oh my goodness. We have seen just so

(08:57):
much growth in athletes. Um, you know, we've had girls
like Isabella, for instance. I know she won't mind me
mentioning her. Started in the program when she was still
at school. She was 16 years old, you know, she's
now an independent adult. She lives at home, but her
and her partner are actually, I think, right now flying

(09:17):
business class overseas. So for two of them.

S1 (09:20):
Oh well done.

S3 (09:20):
And you know I credit that to part of this program.
You know, getting her on a plane and being comfortable
around other people and knowing how to act in public and, um,
knowing how to ask questions, how all of those things. And, um,
so it's so pleasing and it makes you just so
proud to see again. These girls just evolve, um, outside

(09:44):
of netball as well as.

S1 (09:46):
Yeah, I'm thinking as you speak, you know, Mary Little
would have been so proud of that story. And I
guess in a sense, that's what my little did back
in those days and set the game up for young
women and and people of all abilities. If you like
to play netball, but also, you know, develop as an
individual completely.

S3 (10:06):
And, um, Murray obviously was mentioned quite a few times
at the tournament. And Robin Smith, who worked with Murray
for many, many years, um, was at the tournament and
did our opening ceremony. We did a bit of a Q&A,
and she did make mention of Murray and where it
all started, and that was in South Australia with our
local competition. Um, and the tournament is for because there

(10:29):
was nothing at the time. It was a tournament for
girls with an intellectual disability so that they could compete
in netball, um, with like people. And and that's exactly
what Murray Little Shield is like. I've said a lot
of times before, we're quite lucky in that we have
a lot of girls who are quite capable, and their
ability far outweighs their disability on the netball court. And

(10:52):
some of the teams we play against who are very new,
have very raw players and very young girls. Their improvement
that I saw from 2024 to this year was unbelievable.
But there's still probably that, you know, ten years away, um,
from being up to where the rubies, the New South

(11:14):
Wales are and the Victorians probably are. WA we played
in the bronze medal match and they're really pushing us.
So um, but it's great. It is really good to
see that all of these states and territories are, you know,
implementing the same types of program. I am 100% sure
that these coaches would also be providing the same level

(11:35):
of outside talk, you know, as in, um, environment talk. So, um, yeah,
it's such a pleasing environment. It's such a, an environment
of pleasure that you want to just be around. And, um,
we were saying when we were away, it's more like
a community of, um, people and and the support and

(11:56):
chatting with one of the WA parents. Um, his daughter
was quite new and I introduced him to Isabella, who
I said, you know, Isabella was only 16 when we
started this program and this is her growth. And he
thanked us. He thanked her for staying a part of
this program. Um, because it's now obviously opening the door

(12:19):
for his daughter to be in this next group of,
you know, athletes coming through. So it just sends shivers
down my spine thinking about doing.

S1 (12:29):
That right now.

S3 (12:30):
Yeah. Yeah. And and you know, when teams get goals and, um,
it's there might be the first goal this child has
ever shot. Oh, the emotions run. Just you can't explain it.
You just cannot describe it.

S1 (12:43):
And for that guy's daughter, that her father's daughter. I mean,
you can't be what you can't see. And. And that
young lady seeing someone like Isabelle thinks, well, you know,
if that. That could be me one day.

S3 (12:53):
Absolutely. And even within our group, um, I mean, Isabella
was our captain again this year, and deservedly so. She
just shines. She leads by example on the court and
off the court. She is really good at articulating, you know,
in the huddle. She will quite often reiterate what I

(13:15):
have just said. Um, so the girls really look up
to her. Um, I do believe there's a couple coming
through that have, you know, watched her and learned from
her and will eventually be up with her. Um, but
in saying that I don't see her going anywhere for
quite some time either. She's she's such a passionate young

(13:35):
lady and she's still so fit and able, um, and just. Yeah,
like I said, she's just such a leader on and
off the court.

S1 (13:43):
Fantastic. Now that's great for the rubies coming back with
a bronze. Hopefully next year we'll improve a little bit
on that. Now last weekend also the final of the
C6 Six competition that took part took place as well.

S3 (13:55):
Absolutely, yes they did. And, um, it was a hard
fought game and between Tango and Semaphore. But I want
to take you back just really quickly to the semi-final,
which was held on a Thursday night, because the semi-finals
were actually when the rubies were away. So they played
it on the Thursday night and that game was between

(14:18):
contacts and Jags. So the game ended in a draw.
Ah yes. So then they had to play seven minutes
each man okay. After that the game was a draw.
No way. Yes. And so they had to then just
keep playing until someone led by two goals. And I

(14:40):
pretty confident that that went for about another 7 or
8 minutes.

S1 (14:43):
Yeah.

S3 (14:44):
So the girls and then Jags ended up the victors
in that game. But it was a a classic a
classic C6 game that everyone around, uh, witnessed. So then
Jackson played off in the prelim. And then obviously Tango
and Semaphore in the final, which was ended up being
quite a big margin to tango winning that game. And um,

(15:06):
they played amazing. They have some exceptional players in there.
Quite a few rubies girls, um, they're well coached. They
train hard. Um, and they certainly deserved the win. So yeah,
that's how it all finished up for this year in C6.

S1 (15:20):
Well, certainly games like the one you described there, I
mean that gets the crowd involved. They must obviously get
the adrenaline pumping as far as the girls going. I
want to come back next week. I want to come
back next year and play 100%.

S3 (15:33):
Oh my gosh, it was adrenaline overload. The, um, there
was only the C6 teams out there on that Thursday
night because obviously they all normally play on a Saturday.

S1 (15:44):
Okay.

S3 (15:45):
So the crowd around the court because obviously by the
time Home. They've done their draw. The other semi-final, which
was Tango and Semaphore, had finished. So all of those
players and supporters all came around and we had a
little bit of crowd control there for a while, with
one of the umpires saying, hey guys, you've got to
step back off the court. So, uh, it was really good,

(16:06):
and it was one of those games that you just
didn't want anyone to sort of win or lose, because
each team was amazing. And and again, well coached on
all of those teams. Yeah.

S1 (16:16):
Fantastic. Now, Tricia, are you going to put your hand
up again for next year, maybe, uh, year 15 that
you've been involved with this program?

S3 (16:24):
You know, you cannot like I've said, you cannot describe
what you get from this program. I still feel like
I have plenty to give, and I will certainly be
putting my hand up. And I think each year, you know,
we do get some new players coming through. And for
me personally to see the growth and development of those
players is something that, um, you know, whilst I can,

(16:45):
whilst I'm still fit and able, I will certainly be
putting my hand up. And obviously I was well supported
this year too. I had Marty as my assistant coach
and Sam as our team manager, and, um, the three
of us make a pretty formidable team and, you know,
you can't do it without them. And then netball SA
two were, um, phenomenal with the work that they do
behind the scenes to get us through these tournaments. So.

(17:09):
So yes, I would love to put my hand up
and um, let's see how that pans out for 2026.

S1 (17:15):
Were there a couple of our girls recognised with some
awards during the the titles?

S3 (17:19):
Yes. Um, we actually had well, one in particular, Alicia Potts.
She had an outstanding tournament. She's had an outstanding rugby season.
So at the tournament they award what they call the
Naomi Perry Spirit Award. And it generally goes to a
player who just shows great sportsmanship on the court. We,

(17:42):
I guess, have the luxury of saying to our girls,
let the other team get the ball. We have some
other players like I've mentioned. Who are, you know, very
much new to the sport. So it's hard because you
also want to give them the dignity of being able
to get the ball as they've been coached, and not
be condescending to them by just giving them the ball.

(18:06):
So anyway, Alicia displayed that quite numerous times and she
was voted by the other coaches. Oh, and um, was
a three way tie as well. So she won that award.
Alicia also won our MVP Ruby's award, which was, um,
given out last Thursday night. Again, we were away for

(18:26):
the netball SA gala, so we had our own little service,
which was nice. And um, she is a phenomenal athlete.
She was one of our vice captains this year along
with Sam Walker. And um, like I mentioned before, there's
a couple that are pipping Isabella to be up there
equal with her. And and I truly believe that Alicia
is one of those players. She was fantastic in her spirit,

(18:50):
her leadership. Um, and then not to mention her athleticism
is outstanding. So very well deserved award.

S1 (18:57):
We've got to leave it there. Well done. Thanks for
speaking to us.

S3 (19:00):
Thank you Peter, thanks for having us.

S1 (19:02):
Peter Crockford, their coach of the rubies, back with the
bronze medal and also the wrap up of the C6
netball Grand final. Some disappointing news, I'm sure. Distressing news
for many, as we found out that Miss Society SNT
went into voluntary administration when a cat spent some time

(19:23):
working at the society some time ago, and it was
also quite great to catch up with you again and
thank you for your time.

S2 (19:29):
Thanks for having me, Peter.

S1 (19:30):
This would be a shock and would be quite a
distressing time. Often not knowing is worse than knowing the
bad news.

S2 (19:36):
That's right. Yes, I was very shocked when I received
an email from the Ms. society. The date went into
administration advising that that had happened. It was a bit
of a shock, and certainly my heart goes out to
all the clients and staff working there. I know it
can be a really hard thing to go through.

S1 (19:52):
There are some 70 staff at the stage when it
went into voluntary administration, and from nine different locations.

S2 (19:57):
The ministry was also had an employment arm, multiple solutions,
and as I understand, they've both gone into administration. And
so there was a lot of staff employed through the
employment agency as well.

S1 (20:08):
So at this stage, I think it's kind of, you know,
we'll see what happens. I think it's kind of situation
normal with the administrators being appointed. And I guess they're
exploring all options to see what might happen as far
as the future goes. So how do you kind of
feel from it, both from a former employees point of
view and also, as you say, a client?

S2 (20:25):
Yeah, I just feel really disappointed. I'm happy to share
how I was supported by the Ms. society after I
was diagnosed with Ms. in 2008, and why those services
are really vital to the South Australian community. So after
I was diagnosed, I had quite a rough diagnosis in
the medical system here with a very inexperienced registrar. Giving

(20:47):
the diagnosis that had no bedside manner and no information
to share. And it was a really scary, tough time
for me. And what I remember is the Ms. society
reaching out and getting me in for an information session,
and just how lovely and helpful and supportive the nurses
were in those early days when it was just so
scary for me and like talking me through the medication,

(21:10):
how to give myself injections, checking in on me all
the time and that support at that, like really vulnerable
time in my life. Like I certainly wasn't getting it
from the medical system, but I did get it from
the Ms. society. So it makes me really sad to
think people won't get that support.

S1 (21:24):
And I guess you've got the situation where those people
that were giving you support have done it with others,
so they kind of know how it all works. You're
a medical practitioner in a sense. It doesn't matter how
good you are, but if you're kind of a little
bit removed from it, I guess the the attention, if
you like, is a little bit different.

S2 (21:39):
That's right. And of course, the other services they provided there,
like they had peer support networks, occupational therapy and physiotherapy,
and those staff were experts in those fields like they
know the condition in and out. So they can really
tailor their approach rather as going now to other service
providers that maybe don't have that in-depth knowledge of multiple sclerosis.
It'll just make it a lot harder for the clients.

S1 (22:00):
Yes. That was one of the things that was talked about.
That might be something that might follow, is that the
services might get sort of hived out to other organisations.
But as you say, that expertise in that field is
probably not going to be there.

S2 (22:12):
No. That's right. I mean, hopefully that obviously will be
support available, but I just don't think it will be
that really targeted support that the society could provide.

S1 (22:21):
Well, what about the peer support. Because often, you know,
when something happens to us, we kind of think we're
the only one in the world that this is happening to. And,
you know, we feel very alone and lonely. What was
that peer support like.

S2 (22:32):
At my time when I was working there as well,
there were a lot of active peer support groups. I
believe they're all still running and they had a staff
member employed to run those peer support groups. And she
was wonderful and it was a lot of work for her.
But for people to have those connections with other people
going through similar experiences was just really vital. And I
think there are some online groups, so I hope they

(22:53):
can keep up and running. But it's really disappointing because
when you're going through things like this, it really does
help to have speak to someone else who's been through
a similar thing to you. You know, you can share
advice and have a cry with each other. Yeah, it's
a vital service.

S1 (23:08):
This is a very powerful, aren't they? You're kind of
living proof of it that there is a life after
being diagnosed. I mean, it might be different, but there's
still a life and you can still make a lot
of it. And that would be a very powerful thing
and a reassuring thing for someone who's early, uh, going
through diagnosis.

S2 (23:22):
I've had a really a really good journey. Like, I've
have had some medications that I don't know if they've
changed the course of it, but I have no disability.
I'm living well with miss. And yeah, that is something
that's important to share to other people that might be
going through a similar thing. It doesn't mean drastic change
to your life at all. It can just be something
you incorporate and live well with. Like I have been.

S1 (23:42):
And even things like are just, you know, sort of, uh, being, uh,
kept abreast of, uh, different, uh, breakthroughs in the area
of medical science and that sort of thing. If you're
kind of in the system, you're probably more likely to
find out or, you know, maybe a different regime of
what you eat or, you know, when you drink and
that sort of thing, that all those sort of things
could probably help as well.

S2 (24:02):
Yeah. That's right. And, you know, get monthly newsletters from
the Ms. society and always look out for new medications
or new advice. And it's really important to watch out
for those things.

S1 (24:11):
That's the Ms. of Saint. And of course often um
people in country areas and in this instance talk about
the Northern Territory. They can feel virtually and geographically isolated too,
can't they? So again, that being able to to reach
out to somebody is so important.

S2 (24:26):
Yeah. That's right. And I think that's why the peer
support is especially important for those regional and remote groups
who perhaps don't have a large support network to rely on.

S1 (24:35):
Yeah. So I guess we can only sort of keep
our fingers crossed and hope that we'll see the services
continue in some form. And whether there's a white knight
or whether the administrators can find a way to kind
of get through this and, you know, resume normal transmission,
if I could put it that way in the near
or medium future, it might be the thing that we
can all hope for.

S2 (24:54):
Yeah, we can only hope, Peter. But yeah, that would
be the ideal state if something did come on and
enabled them to keep going.

S1 (25:01):
All right. Well, we did approach the society for a comment.
They understandably said no, not at this stage. We want
to work through all the possible solutions. So we'll give
them obviously that courtesy and hopefully in the future we
might be able to get people back to talk about
some of the changes that take place and maybe some
of the benefits that come from this. If that's at
all possible, Renee, you take care. Thanks so much for

(25:21):
speaking to us. You certainly sound in fine form.

S2 (25:23):
Thanks, Peter, and yeah, thanks for having me on again.
It was really good to chat.

S1 (25:26):
Yeah. That's fair. Renee Katz there, who spent some time
working at Miss Society and also as a client. So
great right over night to join us. The tech fest
is on October 9th. Quantum ROV have been a regular attendee,

(25:48):
I think for the first time. Angela Sosnowski will be
there from quantum. Angela. Lovely to meet you. Thank you
for your time.

S4 (25:54):
Thank you for your invitation. It's great.

S1 (25:56):
Yeah. Well, what are you excited about as far as
what quantum are bringing particularly to Tech Fest?

S4 (26:01):
Yeah. So we've got a few new releases that we're
going to be bringing with us. So we've got a
new zoom max lunar AI, which is coming soon. It's
a 24 inch desktop monitor, electronic magnifier. So it's fairly flexible,
I suppose, in a way that it's got a compact design.
It can move freely around your house if you need to,
because it weighs about seven kilos. And because of that

(26:23):
small design, you don't need a big space for it.
So you can have it on a small desk. It's
got three viewing modes, so you can use it for
reading your paper or your documents, or writing or drawing under?
Also has a camera that you can use for the
blackboard in a classroom or an office situation. And also
you can use it as a mirror for like applying
a makeup or shaving.

S1 (26:43):
Yeah, because they're kind of important things, aren't they? Everyday
things that someone who can see okay probably takes for granted,
but it can be such an important thing for someone
with low vision.

S4 (26:52):
Yeah, exactly. Yes. It certainly helps you with the makeup
and everything like that. But yeah, it's just a nice
lightweight magnifier. So it's quite user friendly, quite like that one.
So that's a brand new device for quantum. The other
one that we'll be bringing this has recently been released,
but it's with zoom. Again it's a snow pad. This
is a portable solution for anyone that has their own iPad.

(27:15):
They can turn it into a portable CCTV and reading device.
So the iPad becomes your screen and there's an app
that you can put onto the iPad, but it's on
a stand so you can, you know, put things like
your mail, recipes, product packaging, anything you want to read
underneath it, but it also comes with a full HD
distance camera. You can have that in a classroom environment
so you can looking at the board or a whiteboard

(27:38):
if it's, you know, a uni student and they can
take notes from the board, but they can also split
the screen so they can see what's up close as
well as what's in the distance. But it's also great
for people in the workplace. So they could read a
document or look at people at the front of a
conference or a projector in a meeting or something like that.

S1 (27:55):
Fantastic. Yes. Anything else that excites you?

S4 (27:57):
Um, so we've got our Clover Book Extra Large Pro
and our Clover Book Light. We've had them, I think,
last techfest, but they're still a very popular device for
a lot of our clients. The Clover Book Extra Large
Pros are a larger 15.6in screen, so it's a portable
magnifier with zoom and text to speech, as well as
a distance camera. So that one you can have it

(28:18):
in the classroom or meeting environment or at home, and
you can have a look underneath for your close up,
but also use it in a distance. So it's perfect
for those meetings or looking at the board as well.
So it does come in a smaller version. So 12.5 version.
So it's a little bit lighter a little bit smaller.
It's a great device probably. The other thing we've got
is the new Blonde shell Classic three mobile phone.

S1 (28:42):
Ah. Now this has been very popular over the years.
These types of phones.

S4 (28:46):
Yeah. Yep, yep. So this is the new version. It's just. Yeah.
Just been released. It's in a gold color. So yeah,
it's a fully accessible mobile phone with tactile buttons. And
it's got some new features now the three. So it
comes with a tandem app. So it was designed by
Blind Shell. So that sort of keeps you connected with
your family or friends. You can call them, you can

(29:06):
video chat with them. And the other thing that's great
is they can actually remotely assist you in the phone
for phone settings or any complex apps, or if they
need to give you a hand. So that's.

S1 (29:18):
A.

S4 (29:19):
Great thing. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. And it's really good for
if we need to help our clients, especially for myself
where I cover South Australia and Western Australia. If I'm
not in Western Australia with the client. I can certainly
help them remotely if they're having issues, so I can
actually see what's going on with their phone rather than
trying to troubleshoot over the phone with them. The other
thing it's got is observo, which is it's a description.

(29:41):
So it's a feature that you take a photo and
it'll tell you what's around you. So it'll be like,
you know, if you take it off a desk, what's
on the desk or the clothes you're wearing the color.
So that's great. So you can use that through the camera.
Or another thing you can use it through is called
Luna AI assist. So that you ask Luna to help
you answer questions, simplify everyday tasks. You know you can

(30:03):
say please call Peter, please call Angela, and offers that
as well. So there's some new features on that. And
it still has the same features it had on the two.
So email, text messaging, you've got access to blind App
catalog and other third party apps. So it's a great
option for blind or visually impaired or, you know, even
seniors that just want a mobile phone that has got

(30:24):
like a traditional phone with the buttons, just not that
touch screen. That can be quite a difficult to navigate
some days.

S1 (30:30):
Some people do find that a bit intimidating. The flat
screens don't they? So the the buttons that are very,
very popular.

S4 (30:35):
Very good. Yeah. Yeah. And each button will talk out
loud as you touch it. And so it definitely is
a lot easier to use for a lot of our clients. Definitely.

S1 (30:43):
Andrew, how much are you looking forward to? Techfest I
think it's your first time there, isn't it?

S4 (30:47):
No, I came last year before. Yeah, yeah, I popped down,
so I'm actually looking forward to it again this year.
So I'll have a colleague coming over to help me.
Leon from Victoria. So he's been to Techfest a few times?
I think so, yeah. So no, I am looking forward
to it because, yeah, I have made those connections.

S1 (31:02):
One of the great things about it that other people
have said that have been here is exhibitors, is the
fact that, yeah, it's so good to speak face to
face with people, even if they haven't met them before,
but kind of get the one on one interaction and
feedback about the different products that you've got in your
kit bag, as it were.

S4 (31:18):
Definitely. And then they can actually get to feel and
touch and see them while they're there. So that's a
perfect opportunity for them to, you know, have a really
good conversation with us and, and to be able to
experience them while they're there.

S1 (31:30):
And of course, they can do that. And I'm assuming
you're probably going to have pamphlets or information that they
can take away with them and discuss with family members
or plan manager or something with the NDIS, that sort
of thing.

S4 (31:41):
Definitely. And we're here to provide demonstrations. You know, if
they're looking at that after they've seen something there, they
like to see differently or, you know, we can reach
out to provide demonstrations or further information. That's what we're about,
is that support and working closely with clients to find
the right fit for them, and the best solution for
them to continue doing the things that they love.

S1 (32:01):
Yeah. Looking after South Australia and Western Australia, actually, you'd
be doing a little bit of travel, I'm imagining.

S4 (32:06):
Yeah, not too much this year, but yeah, probably next
year once I've found my feet now and settled in.
But yeah, that's the plan. It's good actually. I quite
enjoy being busy, so and I love meeting different people
and listening to their stories and trying to help them.

S1 (32:19):
And I guess there's people's sight changes as well. It's
kind of good to keep across the different products that
are out there. I mean, if you came five years
ago to Tech Fest this year, you're probably going to
see things that might be a bit more suited to
your site if it might have changed over those five
years or so as well.

S4 (32:33):
Oh, definitely. People with their vision, you know, we work
with every stage. So, you know, there could be that
early to moderate vision loss right through to being totally blind.
So everyone's needs are different. We've got that range of
assistive technology that can match those different needs. So um,
you know it's just yeah, finding that right solution to
help them stay connected with their family or work or

(32:53):
study and live independently. But yeah, definitely, things have changed
over the years. And all the time it's changing and
new things. Amazing technology is coming out.

S1 (33:02):
Alright, so October 9th Tech Fest, Youth City in Franklin
Street in the city. People can book by calling one
309 4306 or see differently if they want to find
out more about quantum. Angela, how can we do that?

S4 (33:17):
So you can just go on to our website. So
if you just put in your WW dot. com.au. So
that'll come up to our web page. You can request
for more info. But we have all our products on
that page. And there's lots of information on each different product.
Or have a chat to us at techfest. And we

(33:38):
can certainly get some further information out there for you,
because we're just bringing a handful of things we've got,
but we've got lots of other options like software and
Braille devices and yeah, terrific.

S1 (33:49):
Angela, I hope to get there. I look forward to
meeting you. And thank you for spending a little bit
of time with us. And enjoy your time at Tech Fest.

S4 (33:54):
Will do. Thanks, Peter.

S1 (33:56):
That's Angela Osofsky there from quantum RV. Sounds like a
very engaging person. Be lovely to meet. And also we'll
get some good information. So October 9th is the date.
All those information that Angela gave us up with our
show notes. Well, it might be grand final day, but

(34:23):
this guest has no opposition at all. Wins every time.
Allison Davies, music therapist from Alison Davies. Com.au. Hello, Ali.

S5 (34:32):
Hi, Peter. How are you?

S1 (34:34):
I'm very well, thanks. Now, um, you're going to talk
about melodic, melodic mantras. That's not easy to say, let
alone do melodic mantra.

S5 (34:45):
Yes, that's what we're talking about. So melodic as in
melody and mantra. As in very short, succinct, uh, phrase
or word that we repeat with melodic mantra. We're going
to take a very short phrase where every single word
is meaningful, and we're going to put it to melody.

(35:05):
So we're going to sing it, and then we sing
it on repeat. And it's kind of like a chant
but melodic mantra. In all my years of doing music therapy,
this is the one sort of methodology or modality or
activity that I found is the most ultimate soothing of
the nervous system activity that we can do. And I'll

(35:29):
sing it to I'll sing you something for an idea. Um,
one of the ones that I sing every session, every
time we do this, the words are just I am safe,
so you can see how potent it is. Like the words,
it's not like a whole verse of a song or
a song. It's just every word is important. And a
melodic mantra is always very, very, very simple melody. And

(35:52):
if in doubt, always just choose a tune from a
nursery rhyme. So I am safe goes like this I
am safe, I am safe, I am safe and on
and on. So when we do a, um, an actual
session where we come together for an hour and sing

(36:13):
melodic mantra, which I do a couple of times a week,
we will sing these on repeat for 2 or 3
minutes at a time before we switch to the next one.
And it's the repetition of it that gives our brain
a sense of predictability. So the repetition, the sensory information
of what we're doing comes to the brain. The brain goes, oh,

(36:35):
I know what's happening here. We're just going to repeat
I am safe. And then we sing I am safe again.
And then the brain goes, yes, I knew that was
going to happen. So now I feel in control. And
then the brain relaxes a bit and our body relaxes.
And then it rewards us with dopamine. And we get
all these nice warm, the nice warm, heavy feeling which
makes us feel safe and that it's like a nursery rhyme.

(36:57):
So the nervous system soothes and all of these magical,
beautiful things happen in our body when we are singing
in this way. And I always think that any way
that we would sing or speak to a newborn baby
is going to help us feel safe. So doing this
kind of work, even though it's quite lullaby ish, It's
extremely soothing for the nervous system and very regulatory.

S1 (37:21):
I know I say this to you every month we speak,
but when you say stuff, I kind of think, of course, but, like,
we don't think until we hear it that it's. And
of course, because the point you made there about singing
to a baby, we want the baby to feel safe
if they're a bit stressed or if they're a bit uptight,
we want to kind of soothe them. So of course
it's the same sort of principle it is.

S5 (37:43):
Every single thing that we do for most of us
with a newborn baby is done inherently because we know
it will help them feel loved, safe and connected. Yeah.
So the way our voice, the way we sing a
melodic mantra, we're not singing in rock star voice, we're
not projecting a very intimate, gentle. So it's it's a
non-performance based, um, activity as well. There's no there's absolutely no, uh,

(38:10):
focus on how your voice sounds or learning or rehearsing
or practicing or performing. It's just a very like you
would sing with the newborn like a lullaby. It's just
a very gentle, intimate expression, using your voice musically that
has absolutely nothing to do with how it sounds or
the pitch or being able to sing. Some people identify

(38:32):
themselves as non singers or not being able to sing,
which isn't correct because the brain is a musical organ. However,
a lot of people feel that way, but with melodic
mantra everyone can do it. And if you aren't a
singer and if you aren't feeling able to sing or
like you have the capacity to sing, listening to melodic

(38:53):
mantra is almost in every way as soothing and as
regulatory as actually doing it. So even just listening, I do, um,
I have a group called A Gathering of Voices. We
meet in my local town once a week, and we
meet online once a week, and the online group, people
from all around the world come and for an hour
every week we do. Melodic mantra and a lot of

(39:16):
people come and just listen. But what they're experiencing is
extremely regulatory and soothing as well.

S1 (39:23):
And it has to be kind of out loud, because
I know we've spoken in the past about sometimes if
you've got a tune in your head or if you're doing,
you know, the every little cell thing in your head
that can be beneficial even if you're not singing out loud,
but with the melodic mantra that has to be sort
of hearable or audible.

S5 (39:40):
No, I mean, we if you come along and you're
listening and you hear other people singing, you're still getting
the benefits of melody, rhythm, repetition, soothing voices and all
of that. The benefit when we do it out loud
is that we hear our own voice, and hearing our
own voice can be another signal to the brain that
we're safe. So the brain never knows what's true or false.

(40:03):
It just picks up on clues. So if we are singing,
and especially if we are singing gently, the brain's going
to take that as a clue that our life is
not in danger, because we would not be singing if
we were trying to save our lives. So our brain hears,
our voice goes, oh, that's my voice. And it's pretty

(40:23):
relaxed and it's feeling gentle right now. And then the
brain takes that as, oh, we're safe. You know, it's
just another little clue to add to the story that
the brain is always trying to make sense of. So
hearing your own voice and using your own voice is beneficial. Also,
when you use your voice, there's a lot of breathwork involved.
I mean, there's a lot of benefit to actually singing

(40:43):
out loud, but, um, yeah, it is extremely therapeutic just
to be a listener as well and just to sing
along in your head.

S1 (40:53):
And if you're singing it out loud or, you know,
doing it out loud, as it were, it's kind of
different than, say, hearing a recording. People say, I don't
like to hear the sound of my own voice, but
that generally is meaning if they're recorded or it's in
that setting, if they're just doing it in their own
kind of time, when they're talking or singing or doing
the melodic mantra that's that's different again, isn't it?

S5 (41:13):
Yes. So no one likes to hear our voice recorded
because it always sounds different to what we hear as
our voice. But when we are singing out loud, we're
hearing our voice the way we always hear it. So
we don't have that issue. But the thing that can
happen is a lot of people feel very insecure about
their voice. They feel very challenged by it. They might
have grown up being told, don't quit your day job

(41:35):
or to mime entire like a simple comment like that
can instantly lead someone to believe that they can't sing.
And a lot of people have musical trauma around stuff
like this. A lot of people were kicked out of
the choir or were never able to express themselves in
that way, and that's that's gone with them their whole lives.

(41:57):
So even though melodic mantra is a very simple form
of music being musical and expressing musicality, it doesn't mean
it's all it always feels easy for people. It can
be very triggering. Uh, and I often have people doing
this work because of trauma. And so it needs to
be a trauma informed approach, which is why it's never

(42:19):
like practice this part. Make sure we sing in tune.
Let's all do it this way. It's very, very minimal
on the expectations.

S1 (42:27):
Amazing. Just a bit more about the group that you
get together with, particularly online. So anyone from anywhere in
the world can be part of that.

S5 (42:34):
Anyone? We have people from like all over the world.
So once a week we meet online and it's remarkable
how meaningful and special and online singing group can be.
I when I first started this, I thought, ah, you know,
singing on zoom, like, how can we even do this?
But it's, it's it's incredible. And you know, just someone

(42:59):
who was there for the first time a couple of
weeks ago said, there's more love in this place than
my heart can cope with. Um, it's a real beautiful community.

S1 (43:06):
So, yeah.

S5 (43:08):
It's, um, it's a, it's a membership or a community
called a Gathering of Voices. And by the way, if
anyone wants to try this place out, you just can
look up a gathering of voices or look up Alison Davies. Peter,
you give my details at the end of the show.

S1 (43:25):
Yeah.

S5 (43:25):
And you can use a code that the code is
try one free as in try 1ONE free and it
will give you one month free. Trying it out. See
what you think. So together we get together and we
share our melodic mantras. So some people have been working
using melodic mantras in their own life, and it might

(43:47):
be about their value or their sense of vitality or
their health. And sometimes people come and they're unwell or
they've had bad news, and we'll do a melodic mantra
for them or for a loved one or we, we sing,
we sing melodic mantras about peace. And they're always very,
very simple. They're only ever 1 or 2 lines at
the most. It's extremely soothing. I come away from these

(44:11):
sessions just feeling so filled up.

S1 (44:13):
Wow. And what? What a comment. I mean, this place
has got more love than my heart can take. I mean,
you can't get a compliment better than that, can you?

S5 (44:21):
We often have tears as well. Yeah. People sing in
different languages.

S1 (44:26):
Yeah.

S5 (44:27):
To cater for a global community. We we cycle between.
So we always we always meet on a Wednesday, but
we cycle between 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and
8 p.m.. So that all in Europe, in Scandinavia, in America,
in Ireland, in all the places that they can still fit,

(44:49):
you know, as many of those sessions as possible into
their month by changing the time zone.

S1 (44:56):
Elliot you're amazing. We are so glad and so privileged
to have you on the program. Now people can find
out more at Alison Davies. Com.au we'll put up links
to the Gathering of Voices as well with our show notes,
and if anyone has any difficulty, they can always call
us at the station and we can help them out. Ali,
I'm sure we'll come up with another topic for next month,
but that was absolutely exquisite. Thank you so much.

S5 (45:18):
Oh, such a pleasure. Thank you for sharing about the
melodic mantra.

S1 (45:21):
Yeah, that's a great topic. That's Alison Davies Alison Davies.

S6 (45:24):
Com.au celebrate the achievements of people living with blindness or
low vision at the 2025 Link Vision Blind Australian of
the Year Awards Gala Dinner, Saturday, October 11th at the
Amara Hotel, Brisbane. Walk the red carpet with Reggie Bird.
Enjoy a performance by Rachael Leahcar and be guided through
the night by MC Karan Nagrani. A memorable and inclusive

(45:47):
evening for all. Half price tickets available for people with
blindness or low vision and companions. Visit Blind Australian of
the year station sponsor.

S7 (45:58):
You're listening to Vision Australia Radio in Adelaide on 1190
7 a.m..

S1 (46:04):
Well, earlier this year we caught up with Julia Overton,
who's the CEO for carers SA. Great to welcome Julia back.
And I think Julia's got some big news for an
invitation she'd like to extend. Julia. Great to catch up again.

S3 (46:15):
Thanks, Peter.

S5 (46:16):
Lovely to be online with you.

S1 (46:17):
Now you have got a big day coming up this week.

S2 (46:20):
Yes we do.

S8 (46:21):
We've got the biggest carer expo in South Australia is
back on Thursday the 2nd of October.

S1 (46:27):
Whereabouts is being held? Julia?

S8 (46:29):
It's being held at the Lights Community and Sports Centre
and it goes from 10 to 230 on Thursday the
2nd of October.

S1 (46:37):
So just to clarify, do people need to book? Do
you want to hear from people if they're coming along?

S8 (46:41):
We do like to hear from people to let us
know that they are coming. It just helps us to
manage the space and the timing of it all.

S1 (46:50):
Alright, we've got that link that people can use to book.
So what we'll do is we'll put that up on
our show notes. It's probably a bit easier than trying
to put it over the radio, might be a bit
long winded, so we'll do it that way. And if
people have any difficulties, they can either call us or
you and we'll give you a phone number before we
wrap up. Well, tell us about the expo. It's a
great opportunity for people to kind of access a number

(47:11):
of different services, or find out about a number of
different services, all in one spot.

S8 (47:15):
That's exactly right. There's over 50 service providers there to
support people accessing services and linking in and connecting in person,
rather than sort of having to phone around or get
referrals into them. They can go direct into those providers.
But it's so much more than just 50 service providers.
We also have a whole range of sort of entertainment

(47:38):
for people to come. It's and I will stress, Peter,
it's free. So whilst we ask people to book, which
we just covered, it is free. There's no cost involved
for people. It's our way of recognising that carers are
so important and that they usually are supporting other people,
but this event is just for them. It is for carers.

(47:59):
So of those 50 stallholders, it includes government, community based
organisations across various sectors, all focused at our expo on
supporting carers.

S1 (48:09):
In terms of carers from all ages.

S8 (48:11):
Yes, absolutely. We really do have a really special focus
for young carers at our Carer Expo. We understand young
carers take on so much, so our expo has a
really strong focus on supporting young carers as well. So
our expert young carer team will be available all day,
offering wellbeing support and a range of activities for young carers.

(48:32):
Or people who come with carers, young people who come
because it is being held in the school holidays. Peter.

S1 (48:37):
Oh yeah. Good point. Yes. That's an excellent idea. So
tremendous timing and I know your sort of stall if
you like, regarding wellbeing. And I mean that is so important.
I guess in a sense that is kind of what
you're about. Because if you're a carer and you're well,
then you can do your caring in a better way
for the person that you're caring for. If I'm not
getting myself jumbled up too much.

S8 (48:56):
That's exactly right. We know that nationally there are nearly
3 million carers and they provide 2.2 billion hours of
care annually. So in South Australia, there are approximately 245,000
unpaid carers, which does include 31,400 young carers aged between
5 and 25. So we know that these carers are

(49:17):
contributing a whole lot to our society.

S1 (49:19):
Julie made a great point about people getting a chance
to be face to face with some of the services
that are out there, because often, particularly in this day
and age, it's all either via zoom or, you know,
you send an email or dare I say, yeah, you
chat to a chat bot. So it's good to have
that sort of a face to face contact.

S8 (49:35):
That's exactly right. And you know that focus on supporting
people and being there as you sort of said, you know,
it's so important that we recognise people's wellbeing. We know
that carers are so much more at risk of mental
illness and they have lower wellbeing levels. And that was
all sort of found through the 2022 National Carer Survey.

(49:58):
So it's all supported sort of evidence there as well.

S1 (50:02):
I remember speaking about that. Now. I note throughout the
year you've been highlighting the fact or promoting the fact
that the expo is coming up and for possible people
to come along to be an exhibitor, if I can
call it that, or to have their wares there. So
did that go well in terms of you got over 50?
Were you pleased with that number?

S8 (50:20):
Yes. We're absolutely, really pleased with that. Our stallholders come
from all cohorts as well. So we're really, really pleased
with the representation across the carer cohort. So I've got
50 of them Peter it's too many to.

S9 (50:33):
Yeah.

S1 (50:34):
No it's not fair. Not fair. Because if we mentioned
one then some would say what about me. So we
don't want to do that also. I mean I think
we can kind of touch on this that services Australia
then that's really important because, you know, it's good to
know what you're entitled to because I'm not sure if
it's in your newsletter or, or somewhere. I did read that.
You know, organisations like Service Australia don't come and tap

(50:54):
you on the shoulder and say, hey, we might be
able to help you out like you've got to go
asking them.

S8 (50:59):
You absolutely have to go to them. That's so true. Peter. Yeah.
Definitely Services Australia is going to be there. It's across
government and not for profits and for profits. You know,
like it's specific focused organisations will be there will have
a focus on LGBTQIA+ aboriginal disability aged care drug and

(51:21):
alcohol support. So you know, we're trying to sort of
support all carers recognising that no one carer is the
same and has a whole range of different needs.

S1 (51:31):
And I guess, as I said, we weren't going to
individualize or call out too many, but also in terms
of a multicultural approach as well, which is really important.

S8 (51:38):
Definitely a focus. Sorry. Yes, I did miss that, didn't I,
in my little list there. But absolutely, yes. We've got
several organisations with a specific focus on supporting multicultural carers.

S1 (51:48):
Obviously a serious topic, but there's going to be a
bit of room for fun as well for both adults
and kids?

S8 (51:53):
Absolutely. We have a whole range of activities and I
would love to read this list out if that's okay. Peter. Sure.
So we've got mini massage sessions sort of really focusing
on wellbeing, and that's been a standout success at our
expos previously. The Nylon Zoo is coming, which is for children.
They dress up in handcrafted costumes, go for a parade,

(52:15):
and then listen to a professionally narrated story in an
inflatable creature.

S1 (52:19):
Okay.

S8 (52:20):
I know it sounds like fun. We have a range
of young carer activities. We have face painting, keyring, cat craft,
mini pot, plant painting, wellbeing section, Aboriginal rock painting, carer
star assessments as well so carers can actually register there
and then for support in their caring role, dinosaur nature play,
cultural dance and more. So many different things going on.

(52:43):
We'll also be welcoming the Honourable Nat Cook, Minister for
Human Services and the Minister for Seniors and Ageing. Well,
who will be coming to our expo, which is wonderful.

S1 (52:53):
All right, well, I think I can say this. We
actually have that booked in for next week on the program,
so you'll get it first. You get the exclusive. I
might ask her how it all went because I'm sure
actually that's a great trooper as far as supporting all
sorts of issues and particularly carers in the area of
disability and human services. So that's a great get. I'm
sure that will be a very welcome guest and I

(53:14):
reckon she might be kept pretty busy. Julie, I think
there might be a few people wanting to have a
word in her shopping.

S8 (53:19):
Definitely think so. And this is just the start of
our National Carers Week sort of events. We hold it
a little bit in advance so that people are sort
of ready and geared up for National Carers Week, but
there's a whole range of different activities that carers say
is sort of running across South Australia for National Carers Week,
and this is our big launch into it.

S1 (53:37):
That's important as well in terms of the people who
aren't in the city.

S8 (53:40):
Yes, absolutely. A range of lunches we're doing across regional
South Australia in National Carers Week that carers have been
invited to attend, and I know I'm going to the
one in bury, so I'm really looking for that. Yeah.

S1 (53:53):
Terrific. Well, Julie, we're out of time this time. But
we'll get you back. Uh, in the not too distant future,
I'm sure. Keep up the great work. Now we'll put
the link for people to, uh, book a place for Thursday.
The second also should point out it's very accessible for
people who might have mobility issues. It's a very accessible venue, too.

S8 (54:09):
Absolutely. There's definitely essential for us at an expo to
have it accessible.

S1 (54:14):
All right. So we'll put the link on our show notes.
And if people have difficulties they can either give us
a call or do you want to give your phone
number as well. And people can find out more about
what you do if they want to contact you by phone?

S8 (54:24):
Absolutely. Our number is 1800 427 371 104.

S1 (54:32):
22737. We'll put that up as well with our show
notes as well as the link. Juliet. It's going to
be a great day. It sounds like an important day.
And if you're a carer and would like to, uh,
find out a bit more about the services that are
out there, I'm sure you will highly recommend. The day
gets underway about 10:00.

S8 (54:47):
It starts at ten and should wrap up around 230.

S1 (54:51):
Alright, plenty of time for people to get out there
and the venue again.

S8 (54:54):
It's at Lights Community and Sports Center.

S1 (54:56):
Terrific. Keep up the great work. We'll speak again soon.

S8 (54:59):
Thank you for your time.

S1 (55:00):
Peter, that's Julie Overton, the wonderful CEO for carers. I
say all those details up with our show notes. And
as always, if you have any difficulties, don't hesitate. Give
us a call here at the radio station. Let's talk
about a really important topic, the topic of stem cell donation.

(55:21):
Let's chat about it with the CEO of Stem Cells
Donors Australia at least. Smith. Lisa, great to meet you.
Thanks so much for your time.

S10 (55:29):
Thank you very much, Peter.

S1 (55:31):
Now, I know you had a big focus on this, uh,
the importance of stem cell donation last week. How did
the message go across, and what's the kind of message
is kind of relevant all year round.

S10 (55:42):
So. Yeah. That's right. Last Saturday was World Marrow donor
Day Today and Australia, as well as, uh, all around
the world. We celebrated, um, Maradona stem cell donors, which
is the more modern term, uh, stem cell donors who
have given the gift of their stem cells to patients

(56:03):
that they do not know and in some cases may
never meet or in many cases may never meet. Um,
and those stem cells have gone on to potentially cure
that patient of their life threatening disease, typically, um, a
blood cancer. And in Australia, we're facing a critical shortage

(56:26):
of stem cell donors. And so, um, this is an
opportunity for us to really raise awareness amongst the general
population about what stem cell donation is, who it benefits,
and how easy it is to do and how easy
it is to sign up.

S1 (56:44):
Those benefits are pretty powerful. Lisa, you said a very
important word there. You said cure.

S10 (56:49):
Yeah. That's right. And, you know, for these patients, they're
typically leukemia patients, lymphoma, myeloma. But also we do treat
a wide range of patients with really severe, um, diseases
that are, you know, life shortening. And so for unlike

(57:10):
a lot of treatments where, you know, the goal is,
is to get the patient into remission, um, our goal
is to actually cure the patient of that, their disease
once and for all. Um, it is a very significant
treatment for them, um, because it is often they have often, uh,

(57:31):
exhausted other treatment options potentially. Or they may have no other, um,
you know, treatment alternative that is going to offer them
the chance, a second chance at life. So. So this
is a very significant, um, therapy for them to undergo.
And it isn't one that is well known and understood

(57:52):
within the community. Um, and it is one that relies
on the generosity of complete strangers.

S1 (57:59):
It's great to have people like you want to kind
of talk about, uh, not just the benefits, but the
things that you're looking for. And I know that you're
looking for kind of a large cross-section of the community
in terms of a multicultural background.

S10 (58:12):
Yeah. That's right. So, so how a stem cell transplant
works is basically we are taking cells from a donor,
the blood making stem cells. And we are giving those
cells to the recipient. And those cells are going to
go on and make the donor's blood inside the recipient
for the rest of the recipient's life. And so you

(58:35):
can imagine the complexities of matching the need to find
a match, An immune system match between the donor and
the recipient. This is much more complicated even than matching
in an organ transplant situation, because of course, your blood
goes everywhere to every cell in your body, and so

(58:57):
if there is any form of rejection, then that is
a much more serious thing. So, so for us to
look for, um, a match is we look at a
genetic level, um, of information. And so as a, as
a patient, you are much more likely to find your
matching donor, um, in somebody who comes from a similar

(59:21):
part of the world as you do. And so if
you are so which is why we need a really
broad cross-section of the community, um, signing up to volunteer
to donate because, uh, we, you know, if, if you're,
if your, if your background is from a part of
the world that isn't commonly represented in global donor pools.

(59:44):
So if you're from, well, anywhere sort of around Africa,
much of Asia, Central America, uh, even Middle Eastern areas,
those are not well represented globally within donor pools. And so,
you know, your chances of finding that match can be
very much reduced relative to, say, if your background is

(01:00:04):
from the UK.

S1 (01:00:07):
And hence the consequences aren't kind of worth thinking about now,
is it mainly younger people that you're looking forward to
to be donor?

S10 (01:00:15):
That's right. So, um, we recruit, uh, Australians between the
ages of 18 to 35, and that is simply because
younger donors give the better outcomes for patients. So we
know that almost 90% of the donors, Australian donors that
are selected to to donate, uh, will be aged under 35.

(01:00:37):
And so because there is, um, you know, we we
need to spend some time and effort and resources and
money on recruiting donors. We really focus that on the
18 to 35 year olds. Um, there is good evidence
that shows for every decade of donor age over the
age of 30, patient survival rates actually decrease. And so

(01:00:58):
it is critical that we get those younger people to
sign up.

S1 (01:01:02):
And it's quite an interesting process in terms of, um,
what you do with the blood. And then you kind
of take the blood, but then you give it back.
Is that right?

S10 (01:01:10):
Yeah. It's so, so the active donation, everybody I think,
has a certain image in their mind of bone marrow
donations from American hospital TV shows or days of old.
And look, there is no doubt that 20 years ago,
that was the primary method of donation. You went under
an anesthetic and a needle was put into your hip

(01:01:30):
and bone marrow was was extracted. But that is pretty
rarely done these days. The vast majority of the time
you will be given a short course of injections four days,
which you can take those injections yourselves, yourself generally. And
those injections stimulate your bone marrow to make lots and
lots of blood stem cells. And those stem cells then

(01:01:51):
come out into your bloodstream. And so the active donation
then involves you sitting in a chair for a few
hours while your blood is removed, and then it is
spun out. We get the cells that we need, the
stem cells, and then we give you back the rest
of your blood into your other arm. And so yeah,

(01:02:12):
you actually have we don't take your blood at all.
It's those stem cells that we want.

S1 (01:02:18):
And how long does that process take? About a few hours.
Does it?

S10 (01:02:22):
Yeah, about half a day. Um, you generally sat in
a chair with a, you know, if you take your
tablet or computer watch and you'll probably get through a
couple of good.

S1 (01:02:30):
Movies.

S10 (01:02:31):
In that time. Yeah.

S1 (01:02:33):
Okay. Fantastic. And obviously, in terms of the recovery from it,
it's no kind of big deal, particularly if you're, you know,
between 18 and 35 and fit and healthy. It's probably, uh,
you know, go on, go back to work the next
day type of thing.

S10 (01:02:46):
Yeah. Look, for most of our the vast majority of
our donors, they're pretty much up and at it the
next day, if you've got a really physically demanding job,
you might want to you might want an extra day off.
Most people just report being really tired. So they go
home and they have a good nap. So the process
of having your bones produce all of these stem cells
can make you feel a little bit achy in the

(01:03:07):
days leading up to the donation. Um, but otherwise, yeah,
you pretty much most people just bounce back after a
really good sleep.

S1 (01:03:16):
So pardon the pun, but a call to arms, particularly for, uh,
people between 18 and 35.

S10 (01:03:22):
Yeah, absolutely. And I guess it's important to say that
the vast majority of people that sign up will, in fact,
never be asked to donate. And it's because, again, of
that genetic matching. So every patient. So every year we'll
have we've got about 11, 1200 patients that come to us. Well,
through their through their doctors. Um, every year to, to
look for a donor. And so we searched the world

(01:03:47):
for them. And there are about 43 million donors around
the world. So you can see that the numbers it's
a numbers game because we are talking about your genes
trying to match somebody at a genetic level. And so,
you know, out of that 11, 1200 patients we see
every year, not all of them sadly will find a match.

(01:04:08):
But as a donor, you're, you're you know, if you're
your chances of actually being asked to donate are in
fact pretty slim. But you need to know that, of course,
if you do get that phone call to say, look,
you are a match to a patient, you might be
the only one who matches that patient out of 43
million donors around the world. So. So while your chances

(01:04:33):
of actually getting that phone call asking you to come
in and to to go through the donation process. While
those chances are pretty small, um, for that patient, you
might be their one and only, um, hope for a cure.
And so this is a this is a very sort
of unusual, very much different to, to blood donation, um,

(01:04:56):
and any other form of donation, uh, in that regard.

S1 (01:05:00):
Well, what an incredible opportunity to give a gift. Um,
how can we find out more? Lisa?

S10 (01:05:05):
Yeah. Look, just jump on our website. Stem cell donors
or just Google stem cell donation in Australia. And you'll
see a link there to if you are to give
you all the information you need. And if you are
18 to 35, you can join up through there. It's
a simple online process of signing up. And then, uh,

(01:05:27):
if you are keen to sign up, there are two
ways that you can choose to join because we do
need a sample from you so that we can get
that genetic information. We can put that into our system
so that we can use that to match you against patients.
So you have two options. One is if you are
a blood donor you can provide, um, an additional blood

(01:05:49):
sample when you next donate blood. Or alternatively, you can
request a cheek swab kit to be posted posted to
you at your home. And then it's pretty straightforward. We're
all used to swabs from Covid, but these go in
your mouth. These are swabbing your cheeks. Um, no, no
nose involved. And, um, yeah. So you just simply swab

(01:06:10):
your cheeks and then pop it in the envelope and
return it in the post to us.

S1 (01:06:15):
Just give us that website one more time.

S10 (01:06:17):
Stem cell donors.org.

S1 (01:06:20):
Lisa, keep up the great work. It's such a powerful
message and I appreciate you speaking to us. Hopefully we
can speak to you again in the future.

S10 (01:06:26):
Absolutely. It's a pleasure. Thank you Peter.

S1 (01:06:29):
So That's Lisa Smith there, the CEO for Stem Cell
Donors Australia. Wow. What a powerful message there. And hopefully
if you're between 18 and 35 firstly congratulations to listening in.
And secondly how about doing that great idea and I'm
sure you'll feel much better for it. Well, it's that

(01:06:56):
time of the month where we have yoga on the radio,
and the only person to do yoga on the radio
is Riva. Riva. Lovely to have you back with us again.

S11 (01:07:05):
Oh, thank you Peter. Yes. Another month gone. What happens
for Christmas now, isn't it?

S1 (01:07:12):
It is getting very close. What have you.

S11 (01:07:14):
Got for.

S1 (01:07:15):
Us this evening?

S11 (01:07:16):
Um. Um, Peter, today or not today? But, you know, um,
we're going to do pranayama. And pranayama is rhythmic control
of the breath. And the one I'm chosen for today
is Ujjayi, and it's called the Psychic Breath. Now it's

(01:07:37):
performed by, um, contracting the glottis in the throat, and
the tongue is folded back up so that the tip
of the tongue touches the top of the palate. Um,
it's almost a deep breathing, very soft, gentle, and almost

(01:07:58):
like the sound of a sleeping baby. So you're breathing deeply,
but it's very soft. What are you doing? This. At first,
when you start, you might feel that you're breathing through
your throat, but you're not. You are breathing through the nose.
And it's very simple, very basic. So if continuing here.

S1 (01:08:21):
Yeah.

S11 (01:08:22):
You sit comfortably back straight, um, You know, if you
want to sit cross-legged, if you're able to do that,
that's fine. Or sit in the chair, feet on, flat
on the floor. You can let the head come forward
a little bit, but not too much. You place the
palms of the hands on the thighs with the thumb
and forefinger just touching. Um, and her lips are cores

(01:08:48):
are lightly closed. And you focus on your breath, on
your breathing in and out, feeling the chest expanding as
you breathe in and then collapsing in as you breathe out.
And you just feel that movement, and you might even
hear the sound of your breathing as you listening as well.

(01:09:09):
This helps to prepare you. Now, after a few rounds
of that, just breathing in and out, quietly turn the tongue,
the tip of the tongue so that it's touching the
upper palate in your mouth. You turn it back as
much as you can. Now, I'll just mention here that
the tongue is, um. Oh, God, it's a muscle. Yeah.

(01:09:33):
And so it can get tired. It's just not used
to being in that position. Now, if that happens to you,
you let it go back down and just do some
of the breathing in and out quietly. Then you can
start again. Once you've got that, you've got the tongue
up there. You're just breathing in and out nice and quietly. Um,

(01:09:54):
where am I? If you feel uncomfortable or you will
stop the practice and again, you can stop, wait a
while and then try again. So that's basically it. You
just said your eyes are closed. I don't know if
I mentioned that, but you close your eyes and don't be.
If it's evening, don't have a light on, turn it off.

S1 (01:10:17):
Okay.

S11 (01:10:18):
So it's all quiet and still around you, and you're
not being disturbed in any way. Anyway, um, this is, uh,
a good one for people who have trouble sleeping.

S1 (01:10:28):
Yeah.

S11 (01:10:29):
Um, and, um, people who have been having sleep problems
for quite a while. It can take a while to,
let's say, um, control it the other way because it's
in your brain that you're not going to sleep. So
you need to turn it around and say perhaps a

(01:10:52):
little mantra, I'll sleep through to 7 a.m. or whatever
time you wake up, but you don't despair. You just
keep going, practicing regularly at a regular time, if you can,
and eventually you'll find that you will sleep better. Um,
so that's one of the benefits there. And of course,

(01:11:12):
it produces a serene effect on the nervous system, producing
calmness and a clear mind. And I just mentioned it
can help with insomnia. Um, it also reduces the heartbeat.
So useful for high blood pressure.

S1 (01:11:30):
Okay.

S11 (01:11:31):
Has a subtle effect on the psychic. On the psychic planes. Um,
what is it? And we use it a lot in
preparation for other pranayamas. This one's a very simple one.
And you get that quietness and calming effect. And then
you can go on, say to daddy or 1 or

(01:11:52):
2 the hummingbird breath and a few others like that. Uh,
so that's it. A very simple one. Um.

S1 (01:12:01):
Would you like to take would you like to take
us through it again?

S11 (01:12:04):
Yes. Sit comfortably with crossed legs or sit in a
chair back nice and straight, and make sure your shoulders
don't give them a bit of a shrug just to
help you relax that little bit. You close your eyes,
and then you just listen to your breathing. Just breathing
in and out nice and quietly and just being aware

(01:12:27):
of your lungs expanding and then going back in as
you breathe out. Then when you feel ready, after you've
done a few rounds of that, you just turn the
tongue back. So the tip of the tongue is touching
the palate and you continue breathing. You might feel as

(01:12:47):
though the breath is flowing through the throat at first,
but you're not. You are breathing through your nose and
you just continue on quietly doing that breathing, just listening
to it, not letting any thoughts come into your mind.
Don't focus on any. Just breathing in and out nice
and quietly as many times as you like. Now that's

(01:13:11):
what I forgot to say is, when you finish, don't
move straight away. You'll open your eyes. Blink your eyes
a little bit. Just wait for a little bit before
you stand up. Um, because if you race up, you
lift up quickly. You can lose some of that peacefulness,

(01:13:31):
that serenity.

S1 (01:13:33):
Yeah.

S11 (01:13:33):
So you take it very quietly. So, um, and you know,
how many times do you do it? Uh, like the breathing,
the rhythms of your breathing. That's entirely up to you.
As long as you feel comfortable, you're okay. If there's
any discomfort, you will stop the process. It is a

(01:13:54):
very safe one. Um, and it has, you know, that
calmness and quietness. If you've had a very busy day or. Yeah,
things aren't going right in your life or, you know,
have disturbances, you stop and do that. Even if you're
sitting in a bus or around people, people won't know
what you're doing. You won't.

S1 (01:14:14):
Have.

S11 (01:14:15):
People around you. You won't have that quietness that you
would have, perhaps in your own home. Um, but yes,
you can do it. You know.

S1 (01:14:23):
Why? You'll have some inner inner quietness, though, Riva.

S11 (01:14:26):
Yes, yes. You are going inside.

S1 (01:14:29):
Yeah.

S11 (01:14:30):
And that's where you'll feel that quietness and that peacefulness,
that relaxation, that serenity that's there with you. Wonderful. Stay there.
You know. And help you through your day, through your
night or through your sleeping. Whichever time you, you know,
decide to do it.

S1 (01:14:47):
Very practical. Riva, if people want to contact you for
some one on one, how can we do that?

S11 (01:14:53):
Uh, on my mobile 041286096.

S1 (01:15:00):
Riva, you are truly wonderful. Thank you so much. We'll
catch up again next month. Have a good evening.

S11 (01:15:05):
Thank you. Peter.

S1 (01:15:06):
We'll do Riva right there for, uh, yoga on the
radio every month around about this time. So if you've
tuned in for the first time, make a note of
it and tune in next time and every month after that.
But it's always great catching up with adjunct Professor Denise

(01:15:28):
Wood from USC, and there are plenty happening in this
month of September. Denise, welcome back. Great to have you
with us.

S12 (01:15:35):
Hello, Peter. How are you?

S1 (01:15:36):
I'm going. Well. And two of the big players in
this field are shining in September.

S12 (01:15:41):
Oh, absolutely. Peter. Every month it's a big event, isn't it?
And it did foreshadow that we had the Big Apple
event on September the 9th in our segment last month,
but then another player upstaged them later in the month.
So we'll kick off with Apple's big event, which was
September 9th. And uh, we weren't disappointed at that event.

(01:16:02):
They debuted the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17
Pro Max, the new iPhone air, which is surprising. New
introduction along with the Apple Watch Ultra three, series 11,
SC three, AirPods Pro, and AirPods as well. So it

(01:16:24):
was a really big event. Uh, I didn't expect so
many announcements in one event, so we weren't disappointed. We
are going to have to wait, maybe till the event
next year to see what's lined up for the foldables.
There were no foldables or flips that we were anticipating,
but let's kick off with some of the big ones.

(01:16:45):
The iPhone 17, the base one that has had quite
a number of upgrades. And I think importantly for the
iPhone 17, it's entry level is a little bit more
affordable than the M1 Pro Max. It comes Australian. The
starting price is about 1399. Pre-orders are now starting, and

(01:17:08):
I think they will start to be available towards the
end of the month. But it has a new 120Hz
Pro motion display, which actually, Peter just brings it in
line with some of the Android phones now. But it
has a new upgraded chip, so higher performance. It's the
A19 chip. So that will be higher performance for its

(01:17:29):
improvements in AI. It now has a 48 megapixel fusion
camera system, a new 18 megapixel selfie camera, better battery life,
a ceramic shield to to the display to protect the display,
some really cool color options go. We're getting away from
the grays and the blacks to lavender, sage, mist, blue,

(01:17:54):
white as well as black sky. Two 56 gigabyte. So
no more of these little 64.

S1 (01:18:01):
Gig.

S12 (01:18:02):
Entry level phones. So, um, some big upgrades there. Then
the iPhone Pro and also the Pro Max, as I said,
were released at what Apple called its jaw dropping launch event. Yes.
All that? Yes, though it's got a new full width
camera module, so it takes up the full width of

(01:18:23):
the back of the iPhone. Now a new brushed aluminium
unibody design, vapor chamber cooling that's to cater for the
extra grunt power of that A19 Pro chipset second generation modem.
It comes in 6.3 and 6.9in displays. It has a
higher brightness, which might be useful for people with vision impairment,

(01:18:48):
is better battery life, so it's getting larger batteries. The
price point for those is of course much higher. The
starting point for the Pro is 1,999 AUD, and for
the Pro Max 2199, that's the entry level. That's 56 gigs.
So that also is dropping Soon and the iPhone XR

(01:19:11):
was announced, which is a really, really thin and very
light version of the iPhone but still with a large screen.
Has one rear camera, so it's the thinnest iPhone you've
ever seen, and it's the first really different model we've
seen in three years, other than sort of incremental improvements
on previous generations. So it's thinner, but it still packs

(01:19:35):
a lot of hardware in that very slim frame. It's
still got the A19 Pro chipset, 6.5in display, it's still
got 48 megapixel rear camera. So it's battery life as
you'd expect. It's not as good as the other models,
but it's apparently pretty awesome. They say it's pretty hard
to break, and believe me, there have been people that

(01:19:57):
have been terribly hard to break it. Plus, these new
phones feature iOS 26. We're up to that now, which
is obviously beefing up Apple's artificial intelligence. So. And with that,
of course, we expect new accessibility features that always come
with that extra grunt power and the improvements in AI.

(01:20:17):
So it now translates text and audio on the go
with live translation, helping users communicate across many languages, iMessage,
FaceTime and phone updates and visual intelligence to capture screenshots
and search or take action on anything you're viewing on
the screen. Some really cool features there. But then, as
I mentioned, to be upstaged, meta event on the 17th

(01:20:40):
to 18th of September, they dropped a whole lot of
new upgrades to there. Not just one, not just two,
but three new Ray-Ban meta glasses. And you know, one
of these favorite of these, I've got the Ray-Ban meta
Gen one, which of course is fantastic for accessibility because

(01:21:01):
you can look at a sign, it will read it
aloud to you. You can take photos, you can take videos,
it can translate. It's a pretty awesome headset. So they've
introduced Gen two, which is available in Australia at the
end of the month. That doubles its battery life, which
was one of the criticisms of the model. I've got
captures three K video at 60 frames per second. That's

(01:21:23):
a big improvement on the video that I've got in mind.
It's charging case, which is just like your glasses case
that charges. It has 48 extra hours where you can
be disconnected from power. Their cameras, mics, and artificial intelligence
all built in. But the really big announcement was the

(01:21:43):
new Ray-Ban display glasses, which actually have a heads up
display in front of. I think it's going to be
the right lens, so that will be able to show text,
live captions, maps and video calls with captions. 12 megapixel cameras.
I've been waiting for that one because, you know, I'm
not sure if it'll use Google Maps or what maps, but,

(01:22:06):
you know, for navigation because yeah, I'm not really good
on navigation with the phone. The compass thing turns all
the time, so this is quite exciting. Battery life will
be six hours, extendable to 30 with its charging case.
But the really exciting thing is the new neural band,
which is a wrist worn controller that will. It's powered

(01:22:27):
by electromyography, and that will allow you to control these
new meta display glasses with pinching your fingers and gestures.
Instead of doing swipes and taps, it will listen to
essentially the micro signals of your muscles when you move
a finger. Oh, and I said there was a third

(01:22:47):
glasses announced, which is Oakley meta Vanguard. That's more for
the sporting people because that will capture video. And despite
the noise, if you're cycling, it has open ear speakers
six decibels louder than the earlier Oakley models and it's
connected to Strava and Garmin for those of you that
might be athletes. But of course, the really important news

(01:23:10):
with all of these is the accessibility. Already people are
using meta AI glasses. Accessibility. These just raise the bar
that much higher. Some pretty amazing releases all in one month.

S1 (01:23:23):
Peter, what about entry prices for those glasses? Denise.

S12 (01:23:26):
The gen one that I have got were the 499
AUD for the frame, but if you get them from.
I can't announce the optical dispenser, but one of the
optical dispensers sells them and you get your if your
medical benefits you get that off. I've got prescription lenses
in my eyes, which of course you can get in

(01:23:48):
these other glasses as well. But you will get. Usually
it's around 10% off if you're in medical benefits. So
that's an advantage. The new Gen two I believe are
about $100. As I say, they haven't quite been released yet,
but I think they're going to be about $100 more.
I believe the display, which they haven't announced a release

(01:24:08):
date in Australia yet. Probably going to be about twice
the price, I believe. So we don't have the pricing
yet of the display, but we will wait and see
when they are announced for release and for pre-orders. But
the Gen two definitely go on sale at the end
of the month, and they're not that much more expensive
than the current Gen one model.

S1 (01:24:30):
Alright, we'll stand by for more. Denise, I don't know
what we'll talk about in October, but I know it'll
be exciting.

S12 (01:24:35):
I'm sure.

S1 (01:24:36):
Peter. Take care. Denise.

S13 (01:24:39):
You too.

S1 (01:24:40):
It's professor from USC. Denise would. Wow. Get your head
around that. I think you might have to go to
the podcast and listen to it a couple of times
over to take it all in, but that was very,
very exciting and very worthwhile. A couple of quotes before
we go. Marika has sent a quote through. Marika often
joins us with quotes. Thank you. Marika says sometimes nothing

(01:25:05):
happens for decades. Other times, decades can happen in days.
Thanks for sending that through. And one from Mark, who's
a sports nut over in Sydney. Mark says, obviously referring
to the grand final. And I've paraphrased at Mark, so
hopefully that's okay. Mark says victory has many parents. Failure

(01:25:25):
is an orphan. Thanks very much, Mark, for sending that through.
A couple of birthdays before we go. Happy birthday to
Hans Reimer, formerly from Vision Australia Radio for many, many years.
Happy birthday to you, Hans. Hope life is going well.
In fact, I know it is. Hear from Hans occasionally.
Happy birthday to you and wonderful Priya Cooper starred at

(01:25:48):
the Sydney and Atlanta Paralympic Games in the pool, doing
wonderful work in the air of advocacy at the moment. So,
Priya Cooper, a happy birthday to you. That's it for
the program if you're listening through 1190 7 a.m. speaking
about victory, Victory cousins is here with Australian Geographic's Keep
Your Radio switched on. For that, we thank our team

(01:26:08):
for helping us put the program to air. Pam Green
thanks also to Mel, also James and Kath, thanks so
much for your help. Really appreciate it. Reminding you that
link is available on your favorite podcast platform. If you
like the program, please tell a friend. Be kind to yourselves,
be thoughtful and look out for others. All being well,

(01:26:30):
let's link back at the same time next week on
Vision Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network. This is
leisure link.

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