August 31, 2026 • 5 mins
Leigh Sales joins Jonesy & Amanda to chat about the 30th anniversary episode of Australian Story!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gold, it's Jonesy Demand driving you home across Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
For 30 years, Australian Story has brought us some of
the most uplifting, heartbreaking and extraordinary stories. Tonight on the ABC,
they are celebrating this with a program that shows the
length and breadth of all the stories they've covered. Of course,
the person to speak to is the woman in the
eye of the storm, and that is Leigh Siles. Hello, Leigh.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The one, the only.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Well, hello, Leigh. Here she is.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You can tell I went off piste in that intro,
but go with me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
You went full Daryl Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I did a little bit.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I remember watching when Amanda was on Dance With The
Stars and Daryl was there hosting it. And there was
a bit, he had this ginormous cue card. And I'm
watching him reading the cue card, and there's a bit
that he just went fully off-piste with the cue card.
And the cue card guy's going, where are you going, Daryl?
And then Daryl got it back. It was like he'd
gone on to some black run, and then he managed
(00:53):
to get it. And then we're all drinking hot chocolate.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
And glue vine. That is a beautiful visual metaphor for
the way TV people can kind of, you know, scramble around. But, yeah.
Well done, Daryl.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So tell us, 30 years, obviously there are some stories
that the public has just never recovered from in good
ways and bad, just ones that have kicked everyone in
the feels. What are some of those bigger ones?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Look, the one that actually our viewers voted as their
favourite of all time is about a farming couple from Queensland,
Gail and Max Shan. And she had a terrible farming accident.
I think they would have been in their 20s and
she lost use of both arms lost one arm completely
and use of the other and um they wanted to
try to keep the farm going and oh it's just
(01:44):
the most moving incredible story they're the most gorgeous people
um and we've gone we've checked in with them four
times over the decades to just you know keep tabs
on how they're going and that's the one you know
they're not famous people but they're the ones that our
viewers love the most.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Is there anyone that you really want to do Look.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
We try all the time. Every year we try for
your Kylie Minogues and people like that. It's really hard
to get very famous people now because there's so many
platforms where they can do their own doco or tell
their own story, as Kylie has done on Netflix very successfully.
I'm always just looking out for a random, normal, non-famous
(02:23):
person who has an amazing backstory and is doing something incredible.
One of my favorites was I don't know if you
guys have ever met Eddie Woo, who's the maths guy.
He has a channel on YouTube called WooTube. Yes. He's
just the greatest guy. And he's just, you know, I
think he's got 2 million followers now on WooTube. And
(02:43):
he still teaches at the same high school in Sydney,
but he's always taught at. Like, he's just the best.
And so I love ones like that.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What do you think this gives people? I saw people
on socials today talking about having watched the Sydney Marathon
and they said it reminded people people of the essential
goodness of people. I think Australian story does something the same.
It reminds us of the beauty in humanity.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Absolutely. And also all the things that we have in
common when so often what's in the public space is
about all the ways that we're different and all the
ways we disagree with each other. Because I think with
Australian story, even if the person being featured is famous,
they're often talking about the private part of their life
that you don't see in there, that their brother's got
schizophrenia like Claudia Carver and that she's his primary carer
(03:29):
and he lives in a share home and she goes
and sees him once a week and all of that.
Or it's Michael Clearm and he's dealing with just a
horrible health setback that's ruined his mobility. Or it's just
ordinary people like Galen McShann dealing with whatever life has
thrown them. And I think when you watch it, it's
both a mirror held up to you because you realize, oh,
(03:50):
everyone's got their challenges and their things they have to
deal with. And people amazingly just kind of do adapt,
even though life can be painful and joyful permanently at
the same time. But there's also some vague, odd sense
of reassurance in it that you feel kind of like
a sense of community or something around it. So I
(04:10):
think that's what makes people keep coming back to it.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, people come back to it.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I can't let you go without discussing you at the
Logies and your extraordinary legs.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, what about that? Who knew?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Did you borrow those for the night? And if you did,
where have you taken them back to? Because I'd like
to use them too.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
They're like hair extensions. You just clip them on kind
of the top of your hips. And then, you know,
they just add on to your extra legs. No, look,
I thought I was 53 this year. I've never worn
a short dress to the Logies. And I just thought, well,
why the hell am I going to the gym all
the time if I'm not going to get this?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah. And it looked great. I saw you on the
way in. You did. You look good.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
You did.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And I saw you on the way in. You said,
you know, I hope it's not too short. And then
about 18 times you won so many awards. I saw
you going up the stairs. I thought, yep, I still
can't see your undies. You did well.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
That's very reassuring because where you were seated, you would
have been in pole position to look right up my clacker.
I feel like nobody could see anything.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
That should be a new ABC show, right up my clacker.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Right up Lee Sales' clacker.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
How many people are in there?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Well, you know, that could be an only fans opportunity.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Very nice.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Lee, it's always great to talk to you. Australian Story,
the 30th anniversary episode, airs tonight at 8 o'clock on
ABC TV and ABC iView. Always great to have you
on the show, Lee.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Oh, thank you, my friend.
Gold, it's Jonesy Demand driving you home across Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
For 30 years, Australian Story has brought us some of
the most uplifting, heartbreaking and extraordinary stories. Tonight on the ABC,
they are celebrating this with a program that shows the
length and breadth of all the stories they've covered. Of course,
the person to speak to is the woman in the
eye of the storm, and that is Leigh Siles. Hello, Leigh.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The one, the only.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Well, hello, Leigh. Here she is.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
You can tell I went off piste in that intro,
but go with me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
You went full Daryl Summers.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I did a little bit.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
I remember watching when Amanda was on Dance With The
Stars and Daryl was there hosting it. And there was
a bit, he had this ginormous cue card. And I'm
watching him reading the cue card, and there's a bit
that he just went fully off-piste with the cue card.
And the cue card guy's going, where are you going, Daryl?
And then Daryl got it back. It was like he'd
gone on to some black run, and then he managed
(00:53):
to get it. And then we're all drinking hot chocolate.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
And glue vine. That is a beautiful visual metaphor for
the way TV people can kind of, you know, scramble around. But, yeah.
Well done, Daryl.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So tell us, 30 years, obviously there are some stories
that the public has just never recovered from in good
ways and bad, just ones that have kicked everyone in
the feels. What are some of those bigger ones?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Look, the one that actually our viewers voted as their
favourite of all time is about a farming couple from Queensland,
Gail and Max Shan. And she had a terrible farming accident.
I think they would have been in their 20s and
she lost use of both arms lost one arm completely
and use of the other and um they wanted to
try to keep the farm going and oh it's just
(01:44):
the most moving incredible story they're the most gorgeous people
um and we've gone we've checked in with them four
times over the decades to just you know keep tabs
on how they're going and that's the one you know
they're not famous people but they're the ones that our
viewers love the most.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Is there anyone that you really want to do Look.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
We try all the time. Every year we try for
your Kylie Minogues and people like that. It's really hard
to get very famous people now because there's so many
platforms where they can do their own doco or tell
their own story, as Kylie has done on Netflix very successfully.
I'm always just looking out for a random, normal, non-famous
(02:23):
person who has an amazing backstory and is doing something incredible.
One of my favorites was I don't know if you
guys have ever met Eddie Woo, who's the maths guy.
He has a channel on YouTube called WooTube. Yes. He's
just the greatest guy. And he's just, you know, I
think he's got 2 million followers now on WooTube. And
(02:43):
he still teaches at the same high school in Sydney,
but he's always taught at. Like, he's just the best.
And so I love ones like that.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What do you think this gives people? I saw people
on socials today talking about having watched the Sydney Marathon
and they said it reminded people people of the essential
goodness of people. I think Australian story does something the same.
It reminds us of the beauty in humanity.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Absolutely. And also all the things that we have in
common when so often what's in the public space is
about all the ways that we're different and all the
ways we disagree with each other. Because I think with
Australian story, even if the person being featured is famous,
they're often talking about the private part of their life
that you don't see in there, that their brother's got
schizophrenia like Claudia Carver and that she's his primary carer
(03:29):
and he lives in a share home and she goes
and sees him once a week and all of that.
Or it's Michael Clearm and he's dealing with just a
horrible health setback that's ruined his mobility. Or it's just
ordinary people like Galen McShann dealing with whatever life has
thrown them. And I think when you watch it, it's
both a mirror held up to you because you realize, oh,
(03:50):
everyone's got their challenges and their things they have to
deal with. And people amazingly just kind of do adapt,
even though life can be painful and joyful permanently at
the same time. But there's also some vague, odd sense
of reassurance in it that you feel kind of like
a sense of community or something around it. So I
(04:10):
think that's what makes people keep coming back to it.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, people come back to it.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I can't let you go without discussing you at the
Logies and your extraordinary legs.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, what about that? Who knew?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Did you borrow those for the night? And if you did,
where have you taken them back to? Because I'd like
to use them too.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
They're like hair extensions. You just clip them on kind
of the top of your hips. And then, you know,
they just add on to your extra legs. No, look,
I thought I was 53 this year. I've never worn
a short dress to the Logies. And I just thought, well,
why the hell am I going to the gym all
the time if I'm not going to get this?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah. And it looked great. I saw you on the
way in. You did. You look good.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
You did.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And I saw you on the way in. You said,
you know, I hope it's not too short. And then
about 18 times you won so many awards. I saw
you going up the stairs. I thought, yep, I still
can't see your undies. You did well.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
That's very reassuring because where you were seated, you would
have been in pole position to look right up my clacker.
I feel like nobody could see anything.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
That should be a new ABC show, right up my clacker.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Right up Lee Sales' clacker.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
How many people are in there?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Well, you know, that could be an only fans opportunity.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Very nice.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Lee, it's always great to talk to you. Australian Story,
the 30th anniversary episode, airs tonight at 8 o'clock on
ABC TV and ABC iView. Always great to have you
on the show, Lee.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Oh, thank you, my friend.
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