April 6, 2026 • 8 mins
On the Christian O'Connell show, Christian chats with a listener about their family's incredible history. Rio, shares a family story of his own, claiming his grandfather invented the jaffle maker and other notable items, including the true sliced bread knife and the original boogie board.
The show returns Monday 20th April!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
iHeart Podcasts. You can hear more gold one in four
point three podcasts, playlist and listen live on the free
iHeart app Got anything good? Hey, this is the Christian
O'Connell show podcast listener show. I was talking about this
(00:30):
very famous story in the Second World War about the
Siege of to Brook and coup. Believe you actually emailed
the show and then Alex Alex was telling us about
a link in his family to this very very famous
story which saw the birth of the desert rats. Who
are what the sas were originally known as. In the
siege or to Brook, your family were involved.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah, so Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Moore said, is my
great uncle he commanded to Brook. He led the ninth
Division at t Brook and later at El la Mayin.
And that is incredible. Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it. And
I'll send you that photo of him and Winston Winston Churchill.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Winston's got it couldn't be anymore. Winston Churchill, the great Commander.
He's got cigar there and what a photo. He's also
effectually got his left hand on your great uncle's shoulder. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So Churchill would go and visit at the battlefield so
he went, that's a photo from Cairo.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That's incredible. What snapshot of history for your family.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
It's crazy, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, it's up at the Australian War Memorial, that that
particular photo.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, your great uncle. Then I can see as well.
Obviously I'm looking at all his his rankings as well,
so he must have been he must have done a
lot of acts services on the.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Wall, very decorated. Yeah, he's captain at Gallipoli and the
Western Front. Yeah, and there's a very famous photo of
him at Lone Pine and he's looking up onto the
trench and there's just littered with bodies, a really really moving,
kind of sad photo and it's him there just looking up.
And then the one I sent you, the one with Churchill.
But yeah, he retired in Sydney and born in regionald Victoria.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Is a schoolteacher originally and then and joined the army
and went.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Over to How old was when he joined the army
was just young. My granddad fought the Seconone War. He
was sixteen. He lied about his age was actually fourteen. Wow.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
He was in his early twenties and became a captain
at twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, there were just young guys, so.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So young, and yeah, retired in Sydney and uh yeah pastor.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Family must be so proud, very proud. Yes, yeah, such
a great photo as well though.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, my mum's maiden name.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
More said, and just there's photos of him everywhere at well,
my grandparents' house and you're very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Now, all we want to talk about now is fame
in the family. You go through your family tree. These
days with ancestry and DNA testing, you can uncover so
much about your family. Often when we start talking about
fame in the family, there's a smell that comes in
the studio of BS and I can see Rio is
prime with a story that is a little bit of BS.
If you how about the man who invented the Jeff
(03:00):
lay Come on, you listen to a man, a man
who took down romel and you're going to drop the
dreffel maker.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Who very decorated and sisters.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
My grandfather, doctor Ernest Smithers, invented.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Exactly patch is right, she's calling it out. He's gonna lie.
He had to best mate Homer Simpson. It was his
name for the Simpsons existed. Doctor Ernest Smithers look it up.
Invented the jaffle maker. The trade monkey is in his name.
He invented it.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
So every time you have a toastery you crunch into
a delicious ham, cheese and tomato number, think, thank you,
Rio and thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
You're all well.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Surely though, you should be seting with a family dynasty now, No,
he was.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Actually he was a bit of a rogue operator.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
He had a number of inventions and would just invent
them and then sell the trademark straight away. My parents,
actually my mum was actually quite poor.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
They He invented a lot of things.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Invented the true sliced bread knife, which was a top
selling bread knife back in the day we.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Had form and just painting in different things.
Speaker 5 (04:10):
Yes, and also the surfer plane which only our older
listeners would know. But it was the original boogie board,
the Ossie original boogey boarders that inflatable.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
While but yeso, that is incredible.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
The only thing we've got to our name from him
is a lawn bowls green in his name at Sussex
Inlet on the Sydney South coast.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So he invented the chairful.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, the jaffle maker yeah, and then it was.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
It wasn't a thing, and then he came up.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
With that yeah, and then he goes, how I wanted
you should sus.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
You should be like your family should be like a
billionaire dynasty. No, I no, no, we're not on the
form and grilling machine. Yes, the original you shouldn't be here.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
I know, I know he was. He was a strange unit.
My mum tells me, all.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Right, then, what have you got fame in your family?
Give us called thirteen fifty five twenty two. I'm worried
now that if I'm an listening to list I'm not
calling in, you know, because your stories are incredible. This
one's a bit fighting in the war. Callipoi alamein. You'll watch,
I know, but this is but they did something significant.
(05:12):
You know what are they going to call in with now?
I think Christian my name killed Hitlers, straight on, straight
on thirteen fifty five twenty two, Shoot your shot. I
don't know what calls we're going to get now, Christian
Connell Show podcast, Christian, I'm too shy to talking the radio.
But our family claim to fame. It's a couple of
(05:33):
my ancestors were convicted for plotting to kill the Prime
Minister of England's there's a whole book about them called
the Plot to Kill Lloyd George. Lloyd George was Prime Minister.
I think you're on the First World War. That must
mean Allison that your family must be the Wilderns. O
(05:53):
Christian my great great grand Auntie Hred ned Kelly. Here
we go. I wonder when the old ned Kelly's We're
going to start working a little bit later than I thought. Yeah,
it's about twenty two links to ned Kelly. I've Adgine
in the last three minute and fed him for a
period of time. Sure, okay, what are those odds? All right?
(06:17):
That's going to Rob here now, Rob, good morning, welcome
to the show.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Thank you very much. How are you?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I'm good, Rob, Thanks you Goring so fame in the family.
What's it for you? Rob?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Ah?
Speaker 6 (06:26):
The two people that started chibis Regal Whiskey, my first
cousins four times removed, so I think.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
It's I think it was two brothers, James and John Chivers.
That's it.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
Yes, well, my first cousins removed.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And have you been over there? You've been to Scotland?
Speaker 6 (06:43):
I certainly have going again. In there about four weeks.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Oh my god. Yeah. Anyway, Yeah, it's a beautiful part
of Scotland as well, isn't it right?
Speaker 6 (06:52):
That's gorgeously, absolutely gorgeous. And when I went to the
Extual Distillery and they treated us like kings and they
just kept feeding me whiskey out of the twenty five
year old and my god.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
No, wonder you're going back. He's back. We've only just
refilled the barrels. Have a safe trip out there and
enjoyed lovely story as well. Thanks you calling Rob Fenn.
Good morning, Fenn, welcome to the show.
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Gooday Christian, Happy Friday.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Happy Friday, Fenn. So fam in your family? What's the story?
Speaker 5 (07:26):
We did some deep diving on my mom's side and
found out Nick Cave is my fourth cousin.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
That's a good one. Patsy went to school with him
as well.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yeah, that's awesome. He was nominated for an OSCAR this
year for one of his songs for Frankenstein. I think, yeah, yeah, Fenn,
thank you, that's the one. Fenn, Thank you very much
for give us a call mate. Have a nice weeken.
Speaker 7 (07:49):
Thank you guys, have a good one.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Is this the Dick van date one. In radio, they
always say end if you can, end with the Dick
van Deke, and we are fulfilling that grace. Good morning morning,
I'm good. I am very very excited. He's still alive.
Dick van Dyke is over. I think he's one hundred now,
I think years. I think he's it's in that complain video.
(08:14):
Not aware, not aware, he's in your family. I seem
to know more about it's not even in my family.
So tell us about Dick van Dijk.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
My grandfather was a dancer in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
against beside him.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Oh wow, wow bang bang bang bang bang bang, pretty
bang bang, Chitty Chitty Bang. So when did you find
this out? Is it a story that's been in your
family for years, since you were a kid, or a
recent thing.
Speaker 7 (08:40):
The first time we watched it is as children. Every
time I watch it, my mama goes, dais your grandfather days?
Your grandfather? Did you know your grandfather was in Chitty
Chitty Bang Bank What a great flat, she tells everyone
when they watch it.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, that's brilliant. I love that, grace. Thank you very much.
You give us a call. Have a nice weekend. No
you too Christian O'Connell show on podcast,
iHeart Podcasts. You can hear more gold one in four
point three podcasts, playlist and listen live on the free
iHeart app Got anything good? Hey, this is the Christian
O'Connell show podcast listener show. I was talking about this
(00:30):
very famous story in the Second World War about the
Siege of to Brook and coup. Believe you actually emailed
the show and then Alex Alex was telling us about
a link in his family to this very very famous
story which saw the birth of the desert rats. Who
are what the sas were originally known as. In the
siege or to Brook, your family were involved.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah, so Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Moore said, is my
great uncle he commanded to Brook. He led the ninth
Division at t Brook and later at El la Mayin.
And that is incredible. Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it. And
I'll send you that photo of him and Winston Winston Churchill.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Winston's got it couldn't be anymore. Winston Churchill, the great Commander.
He's got cigar there and what a photo. He's also
effectually got his left hand on your great uncle's shoulder. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
So Churchill would go and visit at the battlefield so
he went, that's a photo from Cairo.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That's incredible. What snapshot of history for your family.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
It's crazy, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, it's up at the Australian War Memorial, that that
particular photo.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, your great uncle. Then I can see as well.
Obviously I'm looking at all his his rankings as well,
so he must have been he must have done a
lot of acts services on the.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Wall, very decorated. Yeah, he's captain at Gallipoli and the
Western Front. Yeah, and there's a very famous photo of
him at Lone Pine and he's looking up onto the
trench and there's just littered with bodies, a really really moving,
kind of sad photo and it's him there just looking up.
And then the one I sent you, the one with Churchill.
But yeah, he retired in Sydney and born in regionald Victoria.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Is a schoolteacher originally and then and joined the army
and went.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Over to How old was when he joined the army
was just young. My granddad fought the Seconone War. He
was sixteen. He lied about his age was actually fourteen. Wow.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
He was in his early twenties and became a captain
at twenty five.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah, there were just young guys, so.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So young, and yeah, retired in Sydney and uh yeah pastor.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Family must be so proud, very proud. Yes, yeah, such
a great photo as well though.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, my mum's maiden name.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
More said, and just there's photos of him everywhere at well,
my grandparents' house and you're very proud of him.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Now, all we want to talk about now is fame
in the family. You go through your family tree. These
days with ancestry and DNA testing, you can uncover so
much about your family. Often when we start talking about
fame in the family, there's a smell that comes in
the studio of BS and I can see Rio is
prime with a story that is a little bit of BS.
If you how about the man who invented the Jeff
(03:00):
lay Come on, you listen to a man, a man
who took down romel and you're going to drop the
dreffel maker.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Who very decorated and sisters.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
My grandfather, doctor Ernest Smithers, invented.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Exactly patch is right, she's calling it out. He's gonna lie.
He had to best mate Homer Simpson. It was his
name for the Simpsons existed. Doctor Ernest Smithers look it up.
Invented the jaffle maker. The trade monkey is in his name.
He invented it.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
So every time you have a toastery you crunch into
a delicious ham, cheese and tomato number, think, thank you,
Rio and thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
You're all well.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Surely though, you should be seting with a family dynasty now, No,
he was.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Actually he was a bit of a rogue operator.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
He had a number of inventions and would just invent
them and then sell the trademark straight away. My parents,
actually my mum was actually quite poor.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
They He invented a lot of things.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Invented the true sliced bread knife, which was a top
selling bread knife back in the day we.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Had form and just painting in different things.
Speaker 5 (04:10):
Yes, and also the surfer plane which only our older
listeners would know. But it was the original boogie board,
the Ossie original boogey boarders that inflatable.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
While but yeso, that is incredible.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
The only thing we've got to our name from him
is a lawn bowls green in his name at Sussex
Inlet on the Sydney South coast.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So he invented the chairful.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Yeah, the jaffle maker yeah, and then it was.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
It wasn't a thing, and then he came up.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
With that yeah, and then he goes, how I wanted
you should sus.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
You should be like your family should be like a
billionaire dynasty. No, I no, no, we're not on the
form and grilling machine. Yes, the original you shouldn't be here.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
I know, I know he was. He was a strange unit.
My mum tells me, all.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Right, then, what have you got fame in your family?
Give us called thirteen fifty five twenty two. I'm worried
now that if I'm an listening to list I'm not
calling in, you know, because your stories are incredible. This
one's a bit fighting in the war. Callipoi alamein. You'll watch,
I know, but this is but they did something significant.
(05:12):
You know what are they going to call in with now?
I think Christian my name killed Hitlers, straight on, straight
on thirteen fifty five twenty two, Shoot your shot. I
don't know what calls we're going to get now, Christian
Connell Show podcast, Christian, I'm too shy to talking the radio.
But our family claim to fame. It's a couple of
(05:33):
my ancestors were convicted for plotting to kill the Prime
Minister of England's there's a whole book about them called
the Plot to Kill Lloyd George. Lloyd George was Prime Minister.
I think you're on the First World War. That must
mean Allison that your family must be the Wilderns. O
(05:53):
Christian my great great grand Auntie Hred ned Kelly. Here
we go. I wonder when the old ned Kelly's We're
going to start working a little bit later than I thought. Yeah,
it's about twenty two links to ned Kelly. I've Adgine
in the last three minute and fed him for a
period of time. Sure, okay, what are those odds? All right?
(06:17):
That's going to Rob here now, Rob, good morning, welcome
to the show.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Thank you very much. How are you?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I'm good, Rob, Thanks you Goring so fame in the family.
What's it for you? Rob?
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Ah?
Speaker 6 (06:26):
The two people that started chibis Regal Whiskey, my first
cousins four times removed, so I think.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
It's I think it was two brothers, James and John Chivers.
That's it.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
Yes, well, my first cousins removed.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
And have you been over there? You've been to Scotland?
Speaker 6 (06:43):
I certainly have going again. In there about four weeks.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Oh my god. Yeah. Anyway, Yeah, it's a beautiful part
of Scotland as well, isn't it right?
Speaker 6 (06:52):
That's gorgeously, absolutely gorgeous. And when I went to the
Extual Distillery and they treated us like kings and they
just kept feeding me whiskey out of the twenty five
year old and my god.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
No, wonder you're going back. He's back. We've only just
refilled the barrels. Have a safe trip out there and
enjoyed lovely story as well. Thanks you calling Rob Fenn.
Good morning, Fenn, welcome to the show.
Speaker 7 (07:21):
Gooday Christian, Happy Friday.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Happy Friday, Fenn. So fam in your family? What's the story?
Speaker 5 (07:26):
We did some deep diving on my mom's side and
found out Nick Cave is my fourth cousin.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
That's a good one. Patsy went to school with him
as well.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Yeah, that's awesome. He was nominated for an OSCAR this
year for one of his songs for Frankenstein. I think, yeah, yeah, Fenn,
thank you, that's the one. Fenn, Thank you very much
for give us a call mate. Have a nice weeken.
Speaker 7 (07:49):
Thank you guys, have a good one.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Is this the Dick van date one. In radio, they
always say end if you can, end with the Dick
van Deke, and we are fulfilling that grace. Good morning morning,
I'm good. I am very very excited. He's still alive.
Dick van Dyke is over. I think he's one hundred now,
I think years. I think he's it's in that complain video.
(08:14):
Not aware, not aware, he's in your family. I seem
to know more about it's not even in my family.
So tell us about Dick van Dijk.
Speaker 7 (08:21):
My grandfather was a dancer in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
against beside him.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Oh wow, wow bang bang bang bang bang bang, pretty
bang bang, Chitty Chitty Bang. So when did you find
this out? Is it a story that's been in your
family for years, since you were a kid, or a
recent thing.
Speaker 7 (08:40):
The first time we watched it is as children. Every
time I watch it, my mama goes, dais your grandfather days?
Your grandfather? Did you know your grandfather was in Chitty
Chitty Bang Bank What a great flat, she tells everyone
when they watch it.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, that's brilliant. I love that, grace. Thank you very much.
You give us a call. Have a nice weekend. No
you too Christian O'Connell show on podcast,
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