242 Extra. Transforming Lives One Home at a Time

A brief but profoundly beautiful bonus episode of previously unreleased material with Maria Novac. Maria was a single mum with a family who had unexpectedly found herself in need of social housing, and landed in a neglected hot box. A chance encounter resulted in her becoming one of the social housing recipients whose life was transformed by Stephen King and the Australian Insulation Foundation.

If you’ve come here first, tune into the main episode 242 with Stephen King: ‘The Insulation Revolution: The ‘simple’ social enterprise model that inspired a state’.

To hear the rest of the Clean State series, and more stories of regeneration from around WA, Australia and the world, follow The RegenNarration wherever podcasts are found, or on the website.

Title slide: Stephen King and Maria Novak as they appeared in an article on this story (pic: Steve Grant, supplied).

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Music:
By Jeremiah Johnson.

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Episode Transcript

Maria (00:00):
Yeah it's taken a load off my back, so I would do
anything to help him out here tobe able to help everyone else
out, so yeah.

AJ (00:09):
Tell us a bit about, I guess , that sense of gratitude.
What's behind that for you?

Maria (00:15):
Oh, absolutely I'm beyond grateful because you know we
moved in here, I have threechildren and just things have
changed.
I can put more towards mychildren now because I'm not
spending so much on bills andit's, it's comfortable, it was
absolutely hot during the summerand freezing during the winter

(00:37):
and yeah, and it makes you kindof feel horrible, you know,
being in the situation I'malready in, and then that on top
of our living environment.
So yeah, and it was amazingconnecting with Steve and just
literally coming in installingand and there it was.
Yeah, it just happened in a dayand it made a difference.

(00:57):
One day, a few hours, made ahuge difference and, yeah, I'm
beyond grateful.
Yeah, something that seems sosmall is actually massively
significant, not just my part.
But this is a small part and abigger part of things.

AJ (01:13):
But it helps you imagine other people potentially in a
similar situation to you thatmay not even know the
opportunity exists.

Maria (01:21):
Absolutely Like I didn't.
I had no idea I was on Gumtreeto actually find someone to to
pay to install bats.

AJ (01:29):
that's how bad it was, you were just going to do it.

Maria (01:30):
I was just going to do it and um, I came across this um
initiative and I thought thiswas fantastic.
I'm going to get on board andit's just been great.
So you know, I've saved somemoney and um and we're in perth
like.

AJ (01:44):
Consider the people who are further north or inland, where
it's hotter still, absolutely,where we know a lot of these
needs exist too.
So, that's part of what powersyour wish to just put a bit more
air under the wings for otherpeople, Absolutely yeah.

Maria (02:02):
Since it's happened, you've already said that you
then didn't need to get air conyeah, I was planning to get air
con last before last summerkicked in and um, I just found
we didn't.
I don't have to, it's it's coolenough um, during the summer
and warm enough during thewinter, so you know that's
saving.
You know one and a half twogrand, I think, for um buying a

(02:23):
air con and install so thatmoney is going towards other
things that you know my family ahalf two grand, I think, for um
buying a air con and install sothat money is going towards
other things that you know myfamily needs.

AJ (02:28):
So I'm really interested in how Steve and I talked a bit
about the flow-on effects andjust how it can make you feel in
your home.
How would you describe thedifference on that level?

Maria (02:38):
oh, absolutely I don't feel like I'm in a hot pot, you
know because it can get pretty,um, pretty hot here and everyone
gets agitated and, um, it'smore cool, calm and collected.
Now you know, yeah, with threekids, yeah, um, it does.
It makes a huge difference.
You wouldn't think so, but itdoes.
Something so small can make ahuge difference, and it has, and

(02:58):
I've seen it.
Um, you know, I don't cope toowell with heat, and neither do
children, because it did getvery hot in here.
It's made a huge difference.
We're happier, we're morerelaxed, we're more relaxed in
our own home, and that's how youwant to feel in your own home
is just be able to kick back andrelax and not have to think
about it's so hot, you'resitting on the floor sweating

(03:19):
and, yeah, it's just a burden.

AJ (03:20):
These are your memories.
Yeah, it's just a burden.

Maria (03:21):
These are your memories of how it was yeah, yeah, yeah,
it's a burden.
It was burdensome to have tofeel that way and you feel bad
as a parent that you know youwant to make your kids feel
great and looked after well andyou know you don't want to put
them in a situation you know.

AJ (03:38):
So yeah, and so for people now who might, is Stephen even
still on Gumtree?
I don't know.
People now who might, isStephen even still on Gumtree?
I don't know.

Maria (03:44):
I don't know, I haven't checked.
I haven't checked.

AJ (03:46):
People who might look now and hear this and hear that he's
flat chat.
It just emphasises the point.
Hey see if we can makegovernment and others step up to
make this available toliterally everybody that needs
it, at least in these 50,000houses.

Maria (04:03):
It's absolutely worth it.
Yeah, it has to be done andthat's why he's got my full
support and backing.
So things like this, I'm readyto put my hand up for him and
just help out where I can, justto um put the message forward.

AJ (04:14):
So and just so listeners know you weren't hanging out to
be on a podcast .

Maria (04:20):
No.
I'm hating this.
I'm a bit of a recluse.

AJ (04:24):
S s ll the better.

, MC (04:26):
you know yeah you owe me one Stevo.

AJ (04:28):
thanks for sharing.
It's terrific to get an insightdirectly, s and thanks for
having us in your house.

MC (04:35):
absolutely, yeah, thank you .