Podcast appearances and mentions of jon tjhia

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2019 31:10

Aziz in the snow, in Switzerland — Photo: Michael Green 'Hard to imagine. Start your life again. Have your own house, your own family.' – Abdul Aziz Muhamat Incredibly, Aziz is in Switzerland. And he's just won a major international award for human rights defenders. He's swamped with attention and adoration, briefings and business cards. But he is only allowed to be in Geneva for three short weeks. Then he has to return to Manus Island – back to the dangerous situation he's being celebrated for campaigning against. In this episode, we follow Aziz as he negotiates meetings with diplomats and speeches to the UN. He struggles with an unexpected, oppressive dilemma – should he board a plane back to his brothers on Manus, or seek yet another uncertain path to safety and freedom? Transcript A transcript of this episode is available here (PDF format). Further reading 'Aziz: A Stranger in Geneva', produced by Michael Green for Earshot, ABC Radio National (first broadcast 28 September 2019) 'Flight from Manus' by Michael Green, ABC Radio National, 1 October 2019 In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Peggy Hicks Michael Khambatta Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode was produced by Hour House (Mark Leacy and Sam Kenna), except for 'I am the Changer', by Cotton Jones. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. This episode was originally commissioned and produced for the ABC Radio National programme, Earshot. It was produced by Michael Green. The supervising producer was Lyn Gallacher. The sound engineer was Melissa May. Narration by Michael Green. Additional editing and mixing by Jon Tjhia. Thank you André Dao, Jon Tjhia, Hannah Reich, Bec Fary and Sophie Black. Also Camilla Chapman, Cecilia Cannon and Sean Cole, and Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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#12 Flight from Manus

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2019 29:18

Aziz, in a hotel room facing onto Genève-Cornavin railway station — Photo: Michael Green 'I just feel like I left my soul back there, you know. Personally I'm here, but my heart is still in Manus.' – Abdul Aziz Muhamat Aziz is shortlisted for a major international prize, the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. The ceremony is in Geneva, Switzerland. Improbably, the prize's organisers secretly arrange permission for him to leave Manus Island to attend the event. In this episode, Aziz finally – temporarily – escapes Papua New Guinea, five and a half years after the Australian government took him there against his will. But he has no proper passport or visa, and no idea what to expect. After years of exile and captivity, how will it feel to visit Switzerland – one of the richest countries in the world? And can Aziz make any difference for those who remain stuck on Manus Island and Nauru? Transcript A transcript of this episode is available here (PDF format). Further reading 'Aziz: Flight from Manus' by Michael Green, Earshot, ABC Radio National, first broadcast 21 September 2019 The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Michael Khambatta Hans Thoolen Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode is by Hour House (Mark Leacy and Sam Kenna). More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. This episode was originally commissioned and produced for the ABC Radio National programme, Earshot. It was produced by Michael Green. The supervising producer was Lyn Gallacher. The sound engineer was Melissa May. Narration by Michael Green. Additional editing and mixing by Jon Tjhia. Thank you André Dao, Jon Tjhia, Hannah Reich, Bec Fary and Sophie Black. Thanks also to Camilla Chapman, Cecilia Cannon and Sean Cole, and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Michael Green's travel to Papua New Guinea was supported by a grant from the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Bipolar Experience

Braided

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2019 17:52

About a year and a half ago, Kaeleb Ngatai was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. He’s struggled with the ups and downs of depressed periods throughout his life, but this diagnosis put a new name to something that’s a part of him. Being diagnosed hasn’t meant that Kaeleb’s found the cure to an illness; instead, it’s marked the start of a slow process that recognises a gift he’s had all along. He’s getting closer to knowing who he is and the potential of what he can do – even if it’s not always a clear path forward. In this episode, Kaeleb takes us through that journey and how its affected his perceptions, sense of self and connection to the world around him, asking: how do you find yourself … when you don’t feel like yourself? The Bipolar Experience was produced by Kaeleb Ngatai with Jon Tjhia at Artful Dodgers Studios in Melbourne, Australia. Braided is hosted by Agum Maluach and Aaron B. For more information on this episode, visit braidedpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates and extras.

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It Ain’t Easy Being Wheezy

Braided

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2019 18:30

Living with asthma isn’t a breeze, take it from Jenny Curran. Her lungs have put her in life or death situations, from 160 km/hr dashes to the emergency room, to her wayward wheelchair toppling a table of elderly ladies’ teas. Her self-described “wheeze-bags” are the source of difficulties that have done much more than take her breath away. This episode, how do you cope when It Ain’t Easy Being Wheezy? It Ain’t Easy Being Wheezy was produced by Jenny Curran with Joel Supple at the Artful Dodgers Studios in Melbourne, Australia. Braided is hosted by Agum Maluach and Aaron B. The production team includes Michelle Macklem, Joel Supple, Jaye Krantz, Bethany Atkinson Quinton, Jon Tjhia, Louise Terry and Angeliki Androutsopoulos. Music by Jesse Sullivan, Aaron B, and the Desolettes. For more information on this episode, visit braidedpodcast.com.

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Oulipo

Short Cuts

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 29:53

Josie Long presents a series of short documentaries and audio adventures inspired by the work of the Oulipo, a loose collective of writers and mathematicians who use playful constraints in their work to spark new ideas. The Oulipo's name - Ouvroir de littérature potentielle - roughly translates as 'the workshop of potential literature'. They have produced works such as Georges Perec's La Disparition; A Void in the English translation, in which the letter e never appears; If on a Winter's Night a Traveller..., Italo Calvino's novel which features ten different first chapters of novels; and Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style, in which the same story is retold 99 times in a different style. Our workshop for potential radio features literary reviews, audio games and new stories from Joe Dunthorne, Jon Tjhia, John-Luke Roberts and Ross Sutherland. As Far As The I Produced by Jon Tjhia Peanut Butter Featuring Joe Dunthorne A Void Featuring John-Luke Roberts The Other Ross Sutherland Featuring Roddy Forsyth and Ross Sutherland An alternate version of this story first appeared on the podcast Imaginary Advice Produced by Ross Sutherland Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

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#11 We Lived as a Nation

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2019 39:22

The men demonstrate their improvised well — Photo: Michael Green ‘Twenty four days we lived as a nation … The only way I can describe [it] is that we were a nation.' – Abdul Aziz Muhamat The detention centre on Manus Island might be closed, but Aziz – and the vast majority of the men who were held there – remain on the island, living in three different centres. By early 2019, Aziz is well into his sixth year, waiting. In that time, he's felt free for only a few weeks – those few weeks when the immigration detention system disintegrated around him. In this episode, The Messenger returns to late 2017, and the crucial period when Australia shut down the Manus Regional Processing Centre and the men refused to leave. We take you inside the centre as the standoff unfolds. There are no guards, no caseworkers, no immigration officials – and no food, water, medicine or electricity. Aziz and his friends are in charge. How did they survive? And why did they stay? Transcript A transcript of this episode is coming soon. Further reading • 'No Exit: The ongoing abuses of Australia's refugee policy' by Michael Green, Harper's Magazine, July 2018 In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Behrouz Boochani Benham Satah Poli Boas Clarence Parisau Michael Kuweh Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes 'Unrest' by Adrian Klumpes, 'La Mer' by Pivot, 'Southeast of Boston' by June of 44, 'Out with the Cold' by Kaffe Matthews, 'Rhodes Viola Multiple' by Keith Fullerton Whitman, '1.3'by Piano Magic, 'Passages' by Bowery Electric, 'Shine' by Klara Lewis and 'Iberia Eteria' by Biosphere. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Transcription by Claire McGregor, Carolyn Turner, Tiarne Cook, Julia Earley and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Michael Green and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville, Camilla Chapman and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Michael Green's travel to Papua New Guinea was supported by a grant from the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Michael Mohammed Ahmad

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2019 55:56

Michael Mohammed Ahmad is a writer whose novels explore Australia’s smouldering tribalism – found as much within its communities as between them – eschewing clichés and easy, feel-good conclusions. His first novel, The Tribe, introduced readers to the complex family life of protagonist Bani Adam, a young boy from a religious Lebanese Muslim family in western Sydney. In The Lebs, Bani is a teenager grappling with a different set of conflicts – about superiority, sexuality, violence and faith – played out against the backdrop of high school and graduation. Ahmad’s writing stings and sparks; it’s tense, insistent and unsettling, deploying a hungry, confrontational vernacular. Bani’s narration doesn’t present a worthy, heartwarming model of Lebanese Australian-ness. Instead, we’re offered a provocative, complex and sometimes brutal portrait – take or leave it. In conversation with host Elizabeth McCarthy, Michael Mohammed Ahmad discusses multicultural identities, coming of age and the disorienting power of language. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Alexis Wright

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2019 62:59

Alexis Wright is an author of dazzling energy, ambition and imagination. The publication of her exhilarating 2006 novel, Carpentaria, was a major event in Australian literary history. It won the Miles Franklin Award and became a huge critical and commercial sensation. That epic novel, and Wright’s two other novels – Plains of Promise (1997) and The Swan Book (2013) – begin in the author’s ancestral country, the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. A Waanyi woman, Wright elevates Indigenous experience, knowledge and forms of storytelling in all her work. A long-time activist as well as a storyteller, Wright is concerned with Aboriginal resistance and achievement in her non-fiction writing. Her latest book, the critically acclaimed Tracker, is a ‘collective memoir’ about the late charismatic Arrernte elder, Leigh Bruce ‘Tracker’ Tilmouth. In conversation with Elizabeth McCarthy, Wright talks story, legacy, legend and the life of Tracker. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Ceridwen Dovey

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 52:57

What is guilt – and how can we escape the grip of the past? Ceridwen Dovey is the author of the award-winning 2014 short story collection Only the Animals, and the novel Blood Kin. Lately, she’s also been making her mark as a regular essayist for the New Yorker and the Monthly. In her highly anticipated second novel, In the Garden of the Fugitives, Dovey tells a spellbinding story of obsession, loss, repression and atonement. The narrative unfolds through a series of letters between Royce and Vita – an estranged benefactor and his protégé, each now trying to wriggle free from the astonishing weight of their histories. In conversation with Elizabeth McCarthy, Dovey talks about our human connections and failings, ideas of guilt and shame, the role of art in coming to terms with the past – and who has a right to bear witness. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Chloe Hooper

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 50:30

Small-town secrets, police politics and catastrophic loss – all loomed large in Chloe Hooper’s groundbreaking 2008 narrative non-fiction book, The Tall Man, about tragedy on Palm Island in Queensland. Her new book treads similar thematic ground – but in the drastically different landscape of Gippsland, Victoria, at the time of the February 2009 Black Saturday fires. With The Arsonist, Hooper takes readers inside the hunt for the man whose actions caused devastation throughout the Latrobe Valley during the deadliest bushfire disaster in Australia’s history. It’s a gripping and insightful investigation from one of Australia’s brightest talents. What motivates a person to start a fire? How does fear of bushfire play out in our national psyche? At Montalto, Hooper discusses disaster and deadly mischief with host Elizabeth McCarthy. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Krissy Kneen

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 55:39

Krissy Kneen is a writer of lavish imagination. Over seven books – including five novels, one volume of poetry and a memoir – she's invented bizarre fictional technologies, conjured extravagant sexual escapades, and speculated about consciousness-fusing with jellyfish. Female sexual adventure is front and centre in much of Kneen's work, but her writing twists and traverses several genres including literary fiction, erotica and sci-fi. Her 2017 book, An Uncertain Grace, explored ideas of posthumanism, morality and identity. It was shortlisted for the 2018 Stella Prize. Kneen’s new book, Wintering, is a gothic thriller set in the Tasmanian wilderness. At Montalto, Kneen discusses her latest work with Elizabeth McCarthy. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Bri Lee

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2019 54:07

Bri Lee’s Eggshell Skull is about our justice system; its deep-rooted tenets and its disastrous shortcomings. The book is Lee’s first-person account of her year as a judge’s associate in the District Court of Queensland, during which she watched endless cases of sexual assault and child abuse. Herself a survivor of childhood sexual assault, Lee was ultimately moved to bring her own case to court as a complainant. Her own journey through the justice system called for tremendous reserves of resilience and courage. Praised by Helen Garner and Clementine Ford, Eggshell Skull is a meditation on power, abuse and institutional bias. It’s a clear-eyed examination of the toll our justice system takes on women and all survivors of abuse. At Montalto, she joins Elizabeth McCarthy for a talk about power, justice and survival. Note: This event includes discussion of sexual assault. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Steven Amsterdam

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2018 63:04

Since his 2009 debut, Things We Didn’t See Coming, Steven Amsterdam has established himself as a writer who startles and surprises. His first book – an apocalyptic work fusing literary and climate-change fiction – earned him comparisons to Cormac McCarthy. His follow-up book, What the Family Needed, also frustrated conventions of form and genre, but diverged dramatically from its precursor on subject matter: from ecological disaster to family dynamics. Amsterdam is an author with an unusual combination of qualities. His writing is warm, playful … and ominous. Perhaps this is partly because Amsterdam moves between parallel lives. Aside from writing, he works in an entirely different field – as a palliative care nurse. His new novel, The Easy Way Out, draws heavily from this line of work, tackling the big subjects: death, personal morality and assisted suicide. This singular writer joins his former publisher, Louise Swinn, for a discussion about double lives, family dynamics and matters of life and death. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Mireille Juchau

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2018 48:50

A writer of novels, short fiction and essays, Mireille Juchau has quietly emerged as one of Australia’s most accomplished literary voices. Her first two novels, Machines for Feeling and Burning In, won critical acclaim and appearances on the Vogel’s and Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlists. Her third novel, The World Without Us, is very much the book of the moment – winning this year’s prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and shortlisted for the Stella Prize. Juchau’s work deals with big personal and political subjects – from grief and abandonment to climate change. The World Without Us centres on a family who has lost a child, and a community adrift after a calamitous fire; it’s the kind of territory that can veer lesser writers into melodrama. But reviews of Juchau’s work, both in Australia and internationally, have stressed the subtlety and restraint of her prose as well as its vivid imagery. The Times Literary Supplement called The World Without Us ‘elegantly poised and controlled’. Independent on Sunday called it ‘understated and calm, and yet thoroughly captivating’. In conversation with Michael Williams, Juchau discusses writing the intimate, the political and The World Without Us. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Bruce Pascoe

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2018 76:02

Myths about the lives of pre-colonial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have proven deeply entrenched. But in his 2014 book Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe struck a grievous blow to one of the most widely accepted assumptions of Australian pre-settlement history. He argued, and presented robust evidence drawn from the journals of European explorers, that Indigenous people were not hunter-gatherers at the time of colonisation. ‘The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating and storing – behaviours inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag,’ he has said. Dark Emu, which won Book of the Year at the 2016 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, also challenges existing narratives around housing construction, cooking and clothing prior to European settlement. In conversation with Tony Birch, Pascoe discusses the writing, research and reception of his groundbreaking book. What does challenging the past of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people mean for the present? Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Stephanie Alexander

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2018 48:17

If there’s one thing that can rival Stephanie Alexander’s enthusiasm for food and cooking, it’s her delight in good conversation. In fact, conversation has been front and centre in choosing recipes for her book, The Cook’s Table. ‘I want to be away from the table as little as possible, so I have kept last minute stovetop cooking to a minimum,’ Alexander has said. ‘I don’t want to miss the best stories. I am hungry for the latest news and opinions.’ The Cook’s Table is an especially personal collection of recipes and reflections, with Alexander revisiting memorable meals from her own life and travels in each chapter. There’s plenty there to draw from; over the course of 50 years, Alexander’s career has seen her open several celebrated restaurants as owner-chef, write 14 books including the modern-day cooking bible The Cook’s Companion and launch the pioneering Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, which has seen food education take off in school gardens across Australia. In conversation with writer and food critic Larissa Dubecki, Alexander talks about her food, foundation and five-decade career. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Hannah Kent

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2018 53:32

Since 2013, with the international success of her debut novel, Burial Rites, Hannah Kent’s name is often mentioned in the same breath as that of Hilary Mantel or Geraldine Brooks; masters of literary historical fiction. Burial Rites, about a woman executed for murder in Iceland in 1830, was translated into 20 languages and won a swag of prestigious awards, including the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Australian Novelist Award. As the co-founder and publishing director of Australian literary journal, Kill Your Darlings, Kent has worked hard to champion the work of new literary voices and continues to do so. Geraldine Brooks mentored Kent through the development of the Burial Rites manuscript; now Kent mentors emerging writers herself. In her second book, The Good People, Kent returns to the 1800s, and to the northern hemisphere. The action is set in south-western Ireland and is again inspired by a true story. In conversation with Kate Forsyth, Hannah discusses the revival of historical fiction, Australia’s literary landscape and her fascination with troubled women in cold climes. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Malcolm Knox

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2018 66:25

Malcolm Knox is a writer of remarkable range. In his non-fiction, he’s investigated the history of mining in Australia, the jury system, the ice epidemic, Australia’s supermarket duopoly and Greg Chappell. As a novelist, his award-winning books have explored surfing, celebrity, mental illness and male friendship. He is a Walkley award-winning journalist who has served as both literary editor and chief cricket correspondent at different stages of his career at the Sydney Morning Herald. His latest book is another work of fiction. The Wonder Lover, the story of John Wonder, a man with three secret families, is as audacious as it is original and as joyful as it is accomplished. In conversation with Christos Tsiolkas, Knox talks about his many and varied fascinations from surfing to supermarket giants to secret lives – before the pair consider the question of writing as work. Malcolm Knox Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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George Megalogenis

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2018 70:06

In a media environment crowded with polemicists and opinionators, George Megalogenis is something of an outlier. His commentary is relentlessly, rigorously – and somehow compellingly – even-handed. An award-winning, veteran journalist who served for many years as a senior feature writer at News Ltd, his analysis of Australian political, economic and demographic history is indispensable. Megalogenis has been described by Annabel Crabb as ‘Australia’s best explainer’ and in recent years he’s applied that gift to the medium of documentary, writing and presenting two acclaimed ABC productions: Making Australia Great and Life Wasn’t Meant to Be Easy. Megalogenis is still writing books, too. For his most recent, Australia’s Second Chance, he looked back to 1788, tracing our political and economic history and crunching the numbers to present a narrative of resilience, missed opportunity and latent potential. Megalogenis joins Sally Warhaft to discuss his latest book, his body of work and the challenges and freedoms of working across television and print media. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Toni Jordan

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2018 59:36

Romantic love is the subject of squillions of songs, sonnets and stories. Is there a single new thing to say about it? If Shakespeare was growing weary of the cliches back in the 1600s (‘My mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun’), where does that leave writers striving to write fresh romance in the 21st century? Toni Jordan — Photo: James Penlidis These are good questions to ask Australia’s star romantic-comedy writer Toni Jordan. Starting with her 2008 debut novel, Addition, and following up with Fall Girl and Nine Days, Jordan has built a reputation for romantic comedies that are smart, sexy, surprising and hilarious. Her fourth novel, Our Tiny, Useless Hearts, is an uproarious farce set in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. With an acerbic wit and an eagle eye for the absurd, Jordan’s brand of comic writing incorporates incisive social commentary. Join her for a conversation about screwball humour and the enduring popularity of romantic comedy, hosted by Hilary Harper. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Lindsay Tanner

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2018 55:14

‘A political career is not a bad training ground for writing fiction,’ Lindsay Tanner has said. Since leaving the chamber in 2010, the former federal politician has devoted much of his time to the printed page – though it’s only recently that fiction has become his focus. His first book, Sideshow, critiqued the Australian media environment, arguing that spin doctors and tightening news cycles were ‘dumbing down democracy’. With his debut novel, Comfort Zone, Tanner is again engaging with a hot topic in Australian political discourse, multiculturalism, however he tackles the theme from a markedly different perspective. His story’s protagonist is not a former finance minister, but a pot-bellied cabbie who finds himself drawn into a vortex of drug-dealing and criminal violence. Tanner is not your average ex-politician and certainly not your average author. Join him for a unique discussion on writing, life after politics … and the job of lying for a living. In conversation with Emily Sexton. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Drusilla Modjeska

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2018 62:06

Family, literature, Papua New Guinea and the complicated lives of creative women – these are the themes to which Drusilla Modjeska has repeatedly returned in her impressive body of work. As a memoirist, essayist, novelist (and master of combining and confounding literary forms), Modjeska is among Australia’s most celebrated writers. Most recently, she has added a memoir, Second Half First, to an already substantial list of literary accomplishments, including Exiles at Home, Poppy, Stravinsky’s Lunch and The Mountain. That book reflects on the books, people and journeys that have most profoundly affected her in the second part of her life. At Montalto, Modjeska discusses travel, reading and the intersection of life and work with Andrea Goldsmith. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Simon Winchester

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2018 65:35

Simon Winchester is a giant of narrative non-fiction. Across four decades of working as a journalist and author, Winchester’s reverence for the natural world and love of adventure have defined his extraordinary career. This is a man, after all, who has travelled on a Russian tramp steamer from Antarctica to England and seen the inside of an Argentine jail cell. As a foreign correspondent during the 1970s and 1980s, Winchester covered major international events including the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Watergate scandal and the Falklands War, and is the author of books on a dizzying array of subjects. He’s written about the history of the Yangtze River, the eruption of Krakatoa and, perhaps most famously, the making of the Oxford English Dictionary in the bestselling The Surgeon of Crowthorne. Winchester’s timely new book, Pacific, profiles the world’s largest ocean and considers its crucial role in the planet’s present and future. From the Bikini atoll hydrogen bomb tests of the 1950s to the rise of China as a global economic superpower, Winchester explores the history of the Pacific – and the countries that border it. Join us for a conversation with one of the most prolific, polymathic writers of our time, hosted by Sophie Black. Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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Steven Carroll

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2018 56:22

Teacher, theatre critic, playwright, academic – Steven Carroll can list all of the above on his CV, though he’s best known as an acclaimed novelist. Carroll has been shortlisted three times for the Miles Franklin and, in 2008, he won the award for The Time We Have Taken. In 2014, Carroll was named joint winner of the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for fiction for A World of Other People. The novel is set during the London Blitz and is cinematic in scope and bold in its embrace of the big themes: love, war and poetry. In conversation with Michael Williams, Steven discusses that book, his celebrated career and some of the recurring subjects in his work, including literature, romantic love and T.S. Eliot. More from this series Podcast series Books and Ideas at Montalto / Australian stories Books and Ideas at Montalto series sound design and music: Jon Tjhia.

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What I Can See Right Now

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2017 7:51

It's raining on Michael's last afternoon on Manus Island, and Aziz drops by to catch up. They discuss where things are at with Aziz and the other men, and what he expects will happen next. Then, it's time to say farewell. This episode will be the last of our short updates – but we'll return soon with another full episode, unpacking what Michael found when he visited Manus Island. 'If I can predict, the only thing that's gonna happen is we will be just forgotten in this island.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Abdul Aziz Muhamat in Lorengau, Manus Island — Photo: Michael Green In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes 'Please Gamelan Again' by Colleen, and 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' by Tomoki Kanda. Further reading 'Second cohort of Nauru and Manus refugees to be resettled in US', by Ben Doherty, Guardian Australia, accessed 16 December 2017 'A Letter from Manus Island', by Behrouz Boochani, Saturday Paper, accessed 10 December 2017 More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm Not Really Settled Right Now

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2017 6:48

‘I'm safe and I'm alive.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat An eventful week has passed. After PNG immigration officials and police entered the decommissioned detention centre, destroying food, water and belongings, the 421 men remaining there are forced to relocate to the other facilities on Manus Island. After a brief spell of homelessness, Aziz has found a bed in the East Lorengau transit centre. In a chance meeting with Michael, he explains how he's adjusting to the new situation – and trying to regain his energy to continue working. A mess remains after PNG immigration officials raid and ransack the camp — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes 'Shine' by Klara Lewis. Additional audio recordings have been sourced from smartphone videos of the eviction and relocation. Further reading 'Manus Island: PNG authorities say they have cleared detention centre, all men bused out', by Liam Fox and Louise Yaxley, ABC News, accessed 28 November 2017 'Manus police pulled my hair and beat me. "You've damaged our reputation," they said', by Behrouz Boochani, Guardian Australia, accessed 28 November 2017 'Forced Removal', Ten Eyewitness News, accessed 28 November 2017 More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We Are Looking After Each Other

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2017 6:21

Rain comes. In his voice messages, Aziz sounds unwell – but speaks at length about how, in spite of their living conditions, the men finally feel they have some control over their lives. He tells Michael about how they're cooperating with each other, too – splitting duties like security and the daily cleaning of the compound. 'We don't always want to get the attention of the people about the hardship,' he explains. 'We are just paying the price for our freedom.' 'We are managing our lives. You know, it's been 21 days now, three weeks … it's become normal for us.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Further reading 'The situation is critical': cholera fears on Manus as water and medicine run out', by Ben Doherty, Guardian Australia, accessed 21 November 2017 'Refugees Trapped Far from Home, Farther from Deliverance', by Damien Cave, New York Times, accessed 21 November 2017 More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's Been 17 Days

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2017 7:22

Seventeen days into the stand-off with authorities, Aziz tells Michael about how men in the detention centre are dealing with the lack of water after tanks and wells were destroyed – as well as the men's medical needs, many arising from the ad hoc water supply. And with New Zealand's resettlement offer in the headlines, he reflects on why Australia has so far refused it. 'The tank is still empty, because it's been like, a few days we haven't had any rain.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Further reading 'NZ refugee offer stands, despite new allegations', by Mei Heron, Radio NZ, accessed 17 November 2017 'Decay, despair, defiance: inside the Manus Island refugee camp', by Ben Doherty, Guardian Australia, accessed 17 November 2017 'What Is Happening on Manus Island? The Detainee Crisis Explained', by Russell Goldman and Damien Cave, New York Times, accessed 17 November 2017 More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We Are Just Living on a Daily Basis

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2017 6:54

Aziz reports that Papua New Guinean immigration officials have been entering the detention centre to destroy tanks and wells. Meanwhile, the men remaining in the camp have tried to avoid provocation and confrontation. Daily protests have moved to a cooler time of day to account for their lack of water and shade. Aziz says things are quiet in the camp, and spirits are generally positive. Michael arrives on Manus Island. 'Food and water, electricity … this is not our main concern. Our main concern is we just want to get out of this island, and to a safe country.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat A water tank damaged by immigration officials leaks water onto the ground. The centre has now been without a mains water supply for two weeks — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Additional audio sourced from video footage recorded inside the centre. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Everything That We Have Built

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2017 3:56

Hundreds of men remain in the decommissioned detention centre – refusing to be relocated to camps which many (including the UN's refugee agency) have said are unfinished or unsafe. Papua New Guinean immigration officers have removed fences, shade and clotheslines from the camp. Rubbish bins storing rain and well water have been tipped out, and makeshift wells destroyed. In this update, comprised of Aziz's weary and infrequent messages, he describes the increasingly strained situation. 'They were trying to push people – and swearing, abusing.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat The men sit in protest beside the denuded fence posts of the (now former) Manus Island Regional Processing Centre — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Further reading 'Horrific footage from within Manus Island Detention Centre shows squalid conditions', by Jennifer Sexton, Daily Telegraph, accessed 10 November 2017 'Smuggled footage shows horrific conditions in Manus detention centre – video', Guardian Australia, accessed 10 November 2017 'Photos cast doubt on new Manus housing', Australian, by Rory Callinan, Australian, accessed 8 November 2017 More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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There is a Reason

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2017 4:39

After Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court rejects an appeal to restore power, water and food to the decommissioned detention centre, Aziz says the men never held much hope for a positive outcome in the first place. When Michael expresses concern about the ever-escalating situation, Aziz vents his mistrust of the courts and politicians, and defends the men's decision to stay. 'I truly believe that each and every of these men … made his own choice to stay.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Aziz, protesting — Photo: Supplied In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We Are Hoping to Find a Way to Communicate

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2017 3:09

As the detainees' isolation intensifies, Aziz tells Michael about the burden of his responsibilities – and his hope of some negotiation to end the stand-off. Like many of the other men, Aziz has tried to shield his family from knowing about his predicament. But with reports about the centre emerging in international media, he is compelled to lie his brother, who's recognised him in a photo. 'We are just waiting to hear from them.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Barricaded inside the detention centre, men collect firewood — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We Wait for the Day to Make a Plan for Us

Emerging Writers' Festival Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2017 3:26

Three days after the official closure of the detention centre, several hundred detainees remain barricaded inside the gates without water, power or food supplied. Aziz describes the scene, and explains some of the ways the men are getting by. 'It's really hard to get water from outside, so we dug a well.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Without water and power, detainees at Manus Island Regional Processing Centre shower in the rain — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

wire aziz michael green make a plan wheeler centre sophie black jon tjhia bec fary

Creative Audio: Reflections from Australian Producers

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2017 44:47

Crafting audio content takes time, and we all have to start somewhere. Learn from Australian audio producers as they put their past tape to the test. Bec Fary reflected on a clip from episode 1 of SleepTalker - When You Talk About Your Dreams. Listen to the rest here: http://sleeptalkerpodcast.com/1-when-you-talk-about-your-dreams/ Bec Fary is the creator of SleepTalker, the podcast about sleep, dreams, nightmares and what happens in your head after dark. She's also a freelance audio producer and is currently doing her Masters in Design. Listen to more of her work from SleepTalker here: http://sleeptalkerpodcast.com/ Evana Ho reflected on a clip from Episode Four - Divorce, of the Love, Canberra podcast. Listen to the rest here: http://www.lovecanberrapodcast.com/podcast/2016/3/28/episode-four-divorce Evana Ho is the host and creator of Love, Canberra: intimate conversations about love, sex and relationships from the heart of the nation. She is also the co-organiser of the Canberra Podcasting group. Listen to more of her work on here: http://www.lovecanberrapodcast.com/ Jon Tjhia reflected on a clip from The Drowning Man, a piece he made for Paper Radio in collaboration with Chris Somerville. Listen to the full piece here: http://www.paperradio.net/fm/the-drowning-man Jon Tjhia produces Paper Radio, a literary fiction and creative non-fiction podcast. He is also the Wheeler Centre's Digital Editor. Listen to more of his work here: http://www.paperradio.net/ Rosa Gollan reflected on a clip from her piece The Discussion, created for ABC RN's PocketDocs. Listen to the rest here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/pocketdocs/the-discussion/8103098 Rosa Gollan is a producer for The Music Show on ABC Radio National. She previously worked as part of their Creative Audio Unit. The Discussion recently won an award at the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Competition. Tim Shiel reflected on a clip from Spirit Duel (feat. Luke Howard & Wally de Backer), which he created for the game The Gardens Between. Find out more about the game here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkswxaMg4MU&ab_channel=TheVoxelAgents Tim Shiel is a musician and game composer who has worked on projects like Duet, Induction, and The Gardens Between. He's also a presenter on Double J and Triple J. Kate Montague reflected on a clip from Murder in a small town, a two part documentary series she made for ABC RN's Earshot program. You can listen to the full series here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/murder-in-a-small-town/6849926 Kate Montague makes audio content for podcasts, radio broadcast, online publications and exhibitions. She is also the founder and director of Audiocraft - a community for Australian radiomakers and podcasters. Find out more about Kate's work here: http://katemontague.com/

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We Are Just Ready

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2017 4:41

Mere hours from Australia's deadline to close Manus Island's immigration detention centre, tensions are running high amongst detainees. Why does Aziz seem calm? 'I feel like in 24 hours I will know something exactly, either positive or negative.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Detainees shelter from rain at Manus Island Regional Processing Centre — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We Never Had Any Storm Like This

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2017 2:23

The security guards and other staff are leaving the detention centre. Aziz explains how the detainees are preparing for life without power. Damaged by rough weather, a tree has fallen across the perimeter fencing of Manus Island Regional Processing Centre — Photo: Manus Alert In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Position is Clear

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2017 2:22

Abdul Aziz Muhamat — Photo: Michael Green As the days count down to the end of October – when Australia has promised to close the detention centre on Manus Island – Aziz's short voice messages outline the situation as he understands it, and how he intends to respond. Daily protests continue on Manus Island — Photo: supplied In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Hello Hello

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2017 1:40

With just ten days left before Australia closes the detention centre on Manus Island, Aziz leaves a few short voice messages, explaining how he is feeling. Abdul Aziz Muhamat — Photo: Michael Green In this update Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. This short update was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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#10 It Runs In My Blood

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2017 27:59

Aziz — Photo: Michael Green 'This place has become part of me. It runs in my blood.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat After seven long months in Port Moresby recovering from knee surgery, Aziz finally returns to Manus Island. He's overjoyed to be home in the detention centre – seeing his friends and sleeping in his old bed. But just as he returns, the Australian government begins shutting some of the centre's compounds – trying to force refugees to go home, or accept resettlement in Papua New Guinea. Aziz and the other detainees refuse to leave. When the compounds begin to close, hundreds of the men have been assessed for resettlement in America – yet hundreds more, like Aziz, haven't even started the process. This episode brings The Messenger into realtime. The closure of the Manus Island detention centre is expected to be complete by the end of October 2017. What will happen to the men who live there? Transcript A transcript of this episode is coming soon. Further reading • 'Commonwealth agrees to pay Manus Island detainees $70m in class action settlement' by Emma Younger and Loretta Florance, ABC News, accessed 28 September 2017 In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Behrouz Boochani Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes ‘Apt. A (!)' by cLOUDDEAD, ‘Parallelogram' by Electric Birds, ‘First Snow, Last Year' by Andrew Pekler, ‘Map of What is Effortless' by Telefon Tel Aviv, ‘Mdrmx' by Brothomstates, ‘Mascoma' by Trapist, ‘13' by SND, ‘Reeling Then Again' by Lori Scacco, ‘Not Growing Out Of Growing Into' by Rothko, ‘Shine' by Klara Lewis and ‘Up the Box' by Andy Stott. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Carolyn Turner, Eugenia Zoubtchenko and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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#9 Freedom Is Not Free

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2017 44:01

Abdul Aziz Muhamat and Michael Green on Manus Island — (Photo: Behrouz Boochani) 'Freedom is not free. You have to pay for it. And we pay; now we are paying for our freedoms.' Abdul Aziz Muhamat Just before Christmas of 2016, Aziz is transferred to Port Moresby for knee surgery. With better phone reception, Michael and Aziz share a long phone call in which they reflect on the year that's ending, the holiday season and the months since they met face to face on Manus Island. The change in Aziz's circumstances is only temporary, but it's still a change – and the call feels like a rare break in the clouds. But just two days later – on Christmas Day – Michael hears news that Aziz's friend and fellow Sudanese detainee, Faysal Ishak Ahmed, has died. Transcript Download a transcript of this episode here (Adobe PDF format). In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes ‘Passage' by Oren Ambarchi, ‘We Let the “S” Hang in the Air' by Brokeback, ‘Pulcinella' by Kazumasa Hashimoto, ‘How Now (1968) for Piano' by Philip Glass, ‘Meditation' by Lori Scacco, ‘Waltz for Aidan' by Mogwai, ‘Mandarinerna' by Kim Hiorthøy, ‘Future Light' by Nick Huggins, ‘Non Song' by To Rococo Rot, ‘Momento' by Murcof, ‘Initial Gesture Protraction' by Tortoise, ‘Trace' by Rhythm&Sound, ‘Under the Roof' by Colleen and ‘I Found the End' by Broadcast. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Carolyn Turner, Eugenia Zoubtchenko and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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#8 Kind of a Dream

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2017 49:02

Behrouz and Aziz at Hauwei Island — (Photo: Michael Green) 'I'm excited because … for almost three years I haven't left the centre, and I was just locked inside there … Now, I'm walking on the streets – every two steps I take, I turn and I look behind me, like, "Where is the security guard?"' Abdul Aziz Muhamat It's July 2016. On the morning Michael flies to Manus Island, Aziz leaves the detention centre for the first time in nearly three years. In this episode, Aziz and Michael finally meet in person. Michael also meets some people from Manus Island, who explain how they feel about having the detention centre on their island. Together with Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist and detainee, Aziz and Michael take a boat to a nearby island to swim, eat together, and escape the shadow of the detention centre. For Aziz, it's an exhilarating time, full of new experiences and unexpected joys – but he knows it will soon come to an end. Featured videos The Messenger, Episode 8: Michael and Aziz discuss their meeting on Manus Island Watch In this short video, Michael and Aziz talk about their meeting in Lorengau – and what comes next for each of them The Messenger, Episode 8: Michael and Aziz on the boat to Hauwei Island.mp4 Watch Michael and Aziz on a boat trip to Hauwei Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea Behrouz Boochani's song from Manus prison Watch Behrouz Boochani's song from Manus prison Transcript A transcript of this episode is coming soon. Further reading ‘Welcome to Manus, the island that has been changed forever by Australian asylum-seeker policy' by Jo Chandler, Guardian, 16 December 2014 ‘They Call Me Immigration' by Omar Mohammed Jack, Inside Story, 5 April 2017 (excerpted from They Cannot Take the Sky: Stories from Detention, published by Allen and Unwin) In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Behrouz Boochani Michael Green Benjamin Pokarup Rose Chris Allen Muan Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes ‘Capture the Flag' by Broken Social Scene, ‘Sensuous' by Cornelius, ‘The North Downs Dimension' by Broadcast, ‘Sop' by Monica Brooks, ‘Change' and ‘Humming Song 2' by Aoki Takamasa, Ogurusu Norihide and Takagi Masakatsu, ‘Super Botany' by Stereolab and Marumari, ‘Dust Rising' by Nick Huggins, ‘Kilvo' by Radian, ‘Han Brydde Sig Inte Om Att Stiga Upp, Hela Dagen Lät Han Nya Bilder Och Funderingar Komma Och Gå Som De Ville, Sov Lite Ibland Och Vaknade Igen Och Visste Inte Alls Vem Han Var. Det Var En Fridfull Och Mycket Spännande Dag' by Kim Hiorthøy, ‘Reminds Me of the Sun' by OBX and Sophia, ‘On' by Aphex Twin, ‘Exhale' by Adrian Klumpes and ‘The Last Farewell' by Roger Whittaker. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Carolyn Turner, Tiarne Cook and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Skye Hollingsworth for video editing, and Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#7 A Small Village

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2017 27:06

‘I have got energy, so … why can't I just keep in touch with the outside world?' Aziz Photo: Michael Green Even though Aziz is in detention, far away from both his home and from the country whose government is holding him, he's on his phone all day. He's sending messages to Michael, or he's on Facebook with friends and activists, or he's following the latest news in Australia. He's hyperconnected. But his connection to the outside world is complicated and, despite their constant communication, Michael and Aziz never really get to have a regular, real-time conversation. In this episode, Aziz observes his third Ramadan inside detention. Fasting during the day, he sends Michael messages late into the night. And, along with many of the men on Manus, the Australian federal election campaign raises Aziz's hopes. On election night, Aziz and his fellow detainees follow the news forensically to try to make sense of the result and what, if anything, it means for the future of the detention centre. Meanwhile, Michael investigates the possibility of travelling to Manus Island. Could they really meet face to face? Transcript A transcript of this episode is available here (Adobe PDF format). In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes ‘Nook & Cranny' and ‘Grandiflora' by Biosphere, ‘Pilot' by Markus Guentner, ‘Ba Ba' by Sigur Rós, ‘Our' by Actress, ‘Render 4' by Cologne Tape, ‘I Found the End' by Broadcast, ‘Them, Their' by Jan Jelinek, ‘Passage' by Oren Ambarchi and ‘Caroline' by the Babies, with sundry additional music by Jon Tjhia. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Tiarne Cook, Lina Lettau and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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#6 A New Plan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2017 40:35

‘I'm just pretending … as if I'm preparing for a space journey, and the space journey, it takes many years.' Aziz After months of interviews, Aziz finally sits facing an immigration officer and an interpreter, about to find out whether he's been granted refugee status. But he's too angry to talk about that. What he'd rather know is why he's just spent weeks locked in a jail cell in Lorengau, before being abruptly released without charge. In this episode, Aziz tells Michael about the hunger strike that lead to his imprisonment, and why he continues to pursue big and small acts of resistance – despite the consequences. Transcript Download a transcript of this episode in Adobe PDF format. In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes ‘02-15-02' by Taylor Deupree and Kenneth Kirschner, ‘Ambient Head' by Atom Heart and Tetsu Inoue, ‘Variation for Oud and Synthesizer 2' and ‘Rhodes Viola Multiple' by Keith Fullerton Whitman, ‘Helix' by Radian, ‘There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)' by Jan Jelinek Avec The Exposures, ‘Plastic Energy Man' by Papa M, ‘People are Friends' by Biosphere, ‘Biokinetics 2' by Porter Ricks, ‘Pilot' by Markus Guentner, ‘Twenty' by Labradford, ‘Miracle to Fill My Life' by Abe Duque, ‘Changeling' by DJ Shadow, ‘Summa Afrique (Oren Ambarchi remix)' by Tape, and ‘We Let the “S” Hang in the Air' by Brokeback. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Tiarne Cook, Eugenia Zoubtchenko and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Hani Abdile, and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

music friends pilot guardian air twenty wire tape aziz changelings variation helix oud new plan biosphere michael green synthesizer dj shadow brokeback wheeler centre radian taylor deupree papa m sophie black adobe pdf ben doherty biokinetics labradford porter ricks keith fullerton whitman abe duque jon tjhia bec fary tetsu inoue kenneth kirschner

#5 A Safer Place

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2017 44:25

Stopping the boats. It's one of the most fraught topics in Australian politics, and most of the time it comes out in two soundbites: saving lives at sea, and securing our borders. Abdul Aziz Muhamat 'I was instructed to … select the children on the basis of how young they looked – because we wanted to send the message to people smuggling networks that even the youngest children were eligible for transfer to the island.' Greg Lake, former Director of Offshore Processing in the Department of Immigration In this episode, Aziz tells Michael what it actually feels like to make that journey, and why he made the decision to get on a boat bound for Australia. What was going through his mind? Did he know what he was getting himself into before he stepped onboard? Michael also speaks to somebody with a unique perspective to offer, because it was his job to stop the boats. Former immigration department official Greg Lake tells Michael about the extraordinary lengths he was asked to go to to carry out official government policy – and why he ultimately walked away from the task. Transcript Download a transcript of this episode in Adobe PDF format. In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Greg Lake, former Director of Offshore Processing, Department of Immigration Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes: ‘Kilvo' and ‘Ontario' by Radian, ‘Rhodes Viola Multiple' by Keith Fullerton Whitman, ‘Four-Day Interval' by Tortoise, ‘Outward' by Rhythm & Sound, ‘Plastic Energy Man' by Papa M, ‘Whitetail' by Low, ‘Mdrmx' by Brothomstates, ‘Malá Strana' by Gui Boratto, ‘Collapse of Materialists' by Forma, ‘Blau' by Ganger, ‘Guitars for Plants' by Mice Parade, ‘There Are Other Words (They Have Not Told You Of)' by Jan Jelinek and ‘On' by Aphex Twin. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Victoria Grey, Eugenia Zoubtchenko, Laura Mitchell and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Cameron Ford, and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

music director australia sound australian guardian ontario plants rhythm stopping collapse guitar wire forma tortoise outward aziz blau aphex twin whitetail michael green materialists ganger gui boratto greg lake wheeler centre radian safer place laura mitchell papa m cameron ford sophie black jan jelinek adobe pdf offshore processing ben doherty keith fullerton whitman jon tjhia bec fary

#4 Today I'm Really Smiling

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2017 39:14

A major ruling by the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court offers hope for Aziz – but, amidst the promise, the men receive devastating news from Nauru. Meanwhile, they're encouraged to accept the option to resettle in PNG. So why doesn't Aziz take it? Aziz, with his smuggled phone 'We don't know what next, but this is really one of the first good news that we ever heard.' Aziz When Aziz learns of Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruling that detention on Manus Island is illegal, he sends Michael messages describing his joy and excitement. But his elation soon turns to confusion as he and the other men understand they're anything but free. Meanwhile, news of two separate self-immolations in Nauru's centre reaches Manus – and hits Aziz hard. Aziz and the men are always being reminded of two options to end their detention: go home or resettle in PNG. We've already heard why he can't go home. Aziz describes the sometimes hostile relations with local Manusians – including the violent confrontation resulting in the widely-reported murder of his fellow detainee, Reza Berati – as well as some of the things detainees had been told about PNG in order to dissuade them from escaping. Aziz explains why he firmly believes that starting a new life there is neither safe nor possible … and reveals the other fundamentally important reason why he won't accept the offer to live in Papua New Guinea. Warning: This episode of The Messenger includes graphic content and mentions self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact one of Australia's national 24/7 crisis services such as Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. Transcript Download a transcript of this episode in PDF format. In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Ben Lomai, lawyer Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes: ‘There's Hell in Hello But More in Goodbye' by Jim O'Rourke, ‘Floating in the Clearest Night' and ‘The Heart Harmonicon' by Colleen, ‘Blue Milk' by Stereolab, ‘Sensuous' by Cornelius, ‘Cells That Smell Sounds' by Midori Haino, ‘Mala' Strana' by Gui Boratto, ‘The Flat Curving' by Brokeback, ‘Iberia Eterea' by Biosphere, ‘Niobe' by Caribou, ‘Intimate Geometry' by Anthea Caddy and Thembi Soddell, ‘Stars Aligned Webs Spun' by Oren Ambarchi, ‘Gong Meditation' by Cylob and ‘Forskjellige Gode Ting' by Kim Hiorthøy. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Victoria Grey, Camilla Chapman, Lena Lettau and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Cameron Ford, and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#3 I Have Got Some People Waiting For Me

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2017 42:07

Aziz's life has been a story of chance – and choice. As Michael pieces together Aziz's journey from Sudan to Manus, he realises Aziz has been searching for a safe place for about eight years. So what gives him the ability, and the energy, to speak out? How has Aziz fought for so long, and what makes him want to be ‘the messenger'? ‘I'm pretending like I'm really happy, and laugh, and you know, smiling on the phones and doing stuff like that – so they feel like, “Oh, my son is really living in a good environment”. So they think like that, but the opposite is the truth.' Aziz Aziz tells Michael, ‘I have got some people ...waiting for me. They love me, they want me to be with them.' Haltingly, and sometimes with great difficulty, Aziz starts to share stories about his home, the family that he longs to see, and why he fled. Looking to find out more, Michael speaks to Sudan expert Anne Bartlett about the current situation there. As Aziz shares snapshots from his past, Anne talks Michael through the conflict in Sudan, which, despite leaving the headlines long ago, continues to unfold. Michael worries that he's adding to Aziz's trauma by digging up painful memories – ever aware of how hard it is to have these kinds of conversations in short, overlapping messages, without the benefit of reading someone's signals face to face. Meanwhile, Aziz weighs up how much to tell his family about Manus, and explains to Michael why he's sometimes tortured by regret. Warning: This episode of The Messenger includes graphic content and mentions self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact one of Australia's national 24/7 crisis services such as Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here. In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Associate Professor Anne Bartlett, University of New South Wales, President of the Sudan Studies Association Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes: 'Blue Milk' by Stereolab, 'Up the Box' by Andy Stott, 'Feld' by To Rococo Rot, 'Firefly' and 'Four-Day Interval' by Tortoise, 'Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter' by Penguin Cafe Orchestra, 'Ending' by Kazumasa Hashimoto, 'Remedios the Beauty' by Oren Ambarchi, 'Lazyboat' and 'Vostok' by Triosk, 'Passages' by Bowery Electric, 'Self Seal Mishap' by Tennis and 'Ba Ba' by Sigur Rós. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind the Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. With reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Victoria Grey, Camilla Chapman, Lena Lettau and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Cameron Ford and Heidi Pett, and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#2 I Need to Format My Memory

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2017 44:35

As the world reacts to the Trump administration's new US border policies, Aziz's situation is as uncertain as ever, with no end in sight. Life on Manus grinds on. ‘When we see someone who is just hurting himself or he is trying to commit suicide, sometimes you just drag yourself away because of not getting the pictures in your head.' Aziz In this episode, Aziz and Michael start to get to know each other – and Aziz begins to paint a picture for Michael of daily life in the detention centre.Where is it, and why is it there? What are the conditions really like, and what's it like to live there with more than 800 other men and no prospect of release?Back in Melbourne, Michael meets Aziz's friend John Zammit, a former Manus Island psychologist who shares his experiences of the detention centre, and his recollections of Aziz. With help from John, and from Aziz's many messages, Michael pieces together a sense of Aziz's daily routine, just as order in the camp gets turned upside down … Warning: This episode of The Messenger mentions suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact one of Australia's national 24/7 crisis services such as Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here. Further reading 'What Trump's Executive Order on Immigration Does – and Doesn't Do' by Krishnadev Calamur, Atlantic, accessed 30 January 2017 ‘US could resettle zero refugees from Manus and Nauru and still 'honour' deal' by Helen Davidson and Ben Doherty, Guardian, accessed 31 January 2017 In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green John Zammit, former Manus Island psychologist Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes: '02-07-02', ‘03-19-02', ‘03-03-02' and ‘03-23-02' by Taylor Deupree and Kenneth Kirschner, ‘Nord' by Radian, ‘Organ in the Attic Sings the Blues' by Deadbeat, ‘Iberia Eteria' by Biosphere, ‘Forskjellige Gode Ting' and ‘Alt Maste Bli Anorlunda' by Kim Hiorthøy, ‘Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To' and ‘What True Self? Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X' by Chris Zabriskie, ‘Northern Maine Junction' by Chessie, ‘Pilot' by Markus Guentner, ‘So Quick, Bright Things Come to Confusion' by Because of Ghosts, ‘Stereo Music For Yamaha Disklavier Prototype, Electric Guitar, And Computer' by Keith Fullerton Whitman, ‘Transmission 2' by DJ Shadow, ‘Lips' by Plurabelle and ‘Burnt Klubgirl Lid Tone' by Nels Cline and Thurston Moore. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind The Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre.Narration by Michael Green. Reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Victoria Grey, Marie-Louise Bethune, Julia Earley, and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Cameron Ford and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

music australia donald trump ghosts pilot blues memory atlantic melbourne guardian confusion reporting wire messenger nord lifeline lips transmission organ executive orders aziz deadbeats biosphere manus michael green chris zabriskie dj shadow nauru electric guitars thurston moore manus island nels cline wheeler centre chessie radian suicide call back service taylor deupree cameron ford sophie black ben doherty keith fullerton whitman little later than he expected to jon tjhia bec fary plurabelle kenneth kirschner

#1 Aziz, Not a Boat Number

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2017 27:01

As a journalist, Michael Green had spoken to a lot of people who've been held in detention centres. Some were there for a few weeks, and others for as long as six years. But he'd never spoken to someone who was still inside a detention centre, and that's because Australia's immigration department, and the governments of Nauru and Manus, have traditionally made it very difficult for journalists to communicate with detainees. Visitors aren't allowed to make recordings, and the people who came by boat weren't initially allowed to use their own phones. ‘Same day – or different day – same shit. But still alive.' Aziz Then, early last year, Michael was given the phone number of a man who was still in detention on Manus Island. His name was Aziz. He was from Sudan, and he had a smuggled phone. But that was all Michael knew. So he sent him a text message saying hello, and he asked if we could speak on the phone. Aziz wrote back saying the reception in his room was too weak for calls. Michael thought they'd have to communicate entirely by text. Then he realised that on WhatsApp, you can send little voice messages that get delivered whenever you're in range. And so, in March 2016, Michael and Aziz first made contact. Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode here. Further reading ‘Meet the Messenger of Manus, one man trapped in Australia's offshore processing regime' by Ben Doherty, Guardian, accessed 24 January 2017 ‘Broken Men in Paradise' by Roger Cohen, New York Times, accessed 23 January 2017 ‘Not always and only broken: some responses to Roger Cohen's New York Times article' by Janet Galbraith with Behrouz Boochani, The Stringer, accessed 23 January 2017 In this episode Abdul Aziz Muhamat Michael Green Our theme music was composed by Raya Slavin. Music used in this episode includes: ‘Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To' and ‘What True Self? Feels Bogus, Let's Watch Jason X' by Chris Zabriskie, ‘Blau' by Ganger, ‘+' by Kazumasa Hashimoto, ‘Malá Strana' by Gui Boratto, ‘Open Melody' by Lucky Dragons and ‘Headlights' by Triosk. More information The Messenger is a co-production of Behind The Wire and the Wheeler Centre. It's produced by Michael Green, André Dao, Hannah Reich and Bec Fary, with Jon Tjhia and Sophie Black at the Wheeler Centre. Narration by Michael Green. Reporting by Abdul Aziz Muhamat. Additional fact checking by the Guardian's Ben Doherty; transcription by Claire McGregor, Celine Yap, Mia Tinkler, Ruby Wawn, Isobel Egan and many more. This episode was edited and mixed by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Dana Affleck, Angelica Neville and Sienna Merope. Also to Cameron Ford and Madeleine Egan and to Behind the Wire's many participants and volunteers. Behind the Wire is supported by the Bertha Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

music australia new york times whatsapp boats guardian paradise reporting wire messenger visitors sudan aziz blau stringer headlights manus michael green chris zabriskie nauru manus island ganger gui boratto wheeler centre behrouz boochani roger cohen cameron ford sophie black ben doherty lucky dragons little later than he expected to jon tjhia bec fary

#15: The Serious and Silly Dance (Somniloquy Part 1)

SleepTalker

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2016 7:38

Britta listens in while her partner Jon talks through the night. Britta Jorgensen is a Melbourne-based independent radio producer. Head to www.brittajorgensen.com to learn more about her work. Music credits: ‘Dream Colours’ by Lee Rosevere ‘Evergreen and Resinous’ by Pineresin ‘Dream 2’ by Tonality Star This is the first in a two-part series about sleep talking. Next time, we’ll find out how midnight mumblings are inspiring a London musical. Jon Tjhia designed SleepTalker’s gorgeous new logo and website: www.sleeptalkerpodcast.com is where you’ll find past episodes, find out how to subscribe, and find our contact details if you want to get in touch.

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Ep. 1 - Independent Podcasting- with Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia

Audiocraft Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2016 50:17

This session was recorded at Audiocraft's first conference in March 2016. It features Bec Fary (Sleep Talker) and Jon Thjia (Paper Radio). www.audiocraft.com.au See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

podcasting independent audiocraft jon tjhia bec fary

#17 Why Do I Have to Go Through Hell to Get to Heaven?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2016 52:54

20 years ago, four dying people were able to access the Northern Territory’s world-first law to help them die more mercifully, before the law itself was extinguished. By the end of 2016, over 100 million people on three continents will be able to access such laws – the most recent places to adopt them being America’s most populous state, California, and Canada. Since that Northern Territory law was overturned in 1997, nearly 30 attempts to create a new one here in Australia have failed. But as the tide of history turns in favour of assisted dying, how much longer can our politicians continue to ignore the call for change? Bob Hawke, left, and Heather Bell — Photo credits: Bob Hawke by Eva Rinaldi (CC-BY-SA); Heather Bell, supplied The old arguments that have held such sway – about the elderly and the vulnerable being unsafe under these laws – no longer hold. Over a decade of experience in Europe, and nearly two decades in America, have shown us that the safeguards do work: that good laws can be created to help the few, and protect the many. In this final episode, drawing on what has worked best overseas, I’m going to tell you what I think that law for assisted dying in Australia should look like. Plus, we’ll hear from two significant stakeholders who both support a change in our law. One, a former Prime Minister. The other, the one major medical body that does officially support assisted dying. Tellingly, they’re the ones who see the suffering of patients every day and up close – the nurses. 'I think it is absurd that euthanasia is not legal within this country. It doesn't meet any requirements of morality or good sense.' Former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Richard Di Natale In March 2016, Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale put forward a bill, co-sponsored by representatives from all the major parties, aimed at restoring the right of the Northern Territory, ACT and Norfolk Island to legislate for voluntary euthanasia. Here, he discusses the reasoning behind the bill – and the tactics required to create political change on this issue in Australia. Know more Video: 'Q&A: Facing Death' – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 November 2015 Article: 'Bob Hawke calls for euthanasia to be made legal in Australia', by Calla Wahlquist – Guardian, 12 April 2016 Podcast episode: 'Andrew Denton asks, can Australia legislate for better death?' – Conversations with Richard Fidler, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 23 February 2016 Research paper: 'How should Australia regulate voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide?', by Ben White and Lindy Willmott – Australia21, November 2012 Essay: 'The right to die or the right to kill?: The argument against euthanasia', by Karen Hitchcock – The Monthly, December 2015–January 2016 Letter: In response to Karen Hitchcock's article (above), by Ian Maddocks – The Monthly, February 2016 Opinion: 'Assisted dying: the difficult conversation we need to have', by Ian McPhee – Age, 2 February 2016 Video: 'Andrew Denton has a new lease on death' – from Sunrise, Yahoo!7, 22 February 2016 Article: 'Medically assisted death weeks away in Canada', by Susan Delacourt – ABC News, 2 March 2016 Article: 'Push to restore voluntary euthanasia in NT, ACT and Norfolk Island', by Helen Davidson – Guardian, 1 March 2016 Speech: 'Voluntary Euthanasia', by Andrew Leigh MP – as spoken in House of Representatives, Parliament of Australia, 17 August 2015 In this episode Bob Hawke Doctors: Cathy, Vic, Andrew, Sarah and Paul Coral Levett Karen Hitchcock Heather Bell Richard Chye Leigh Dolin Michael Williams Marshall Perron Nancy Elliott Paul Russell Liz Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Hope There's Someone' (Antony and the Johnsons), 'Death Don't Have No Mercy' (Reverend Gary Davis), 'Further On (Up the Road)' (Johnny Cash), 'Into My Arms' (Nick Cave), 'Underneath the Stars' (Kate Rusby), 'The Parting Glass' (The Wailin' Jennys) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#16 Abandon Hope

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2016 46:39

Paul Russell — Photo: Supplied My search for the truth about assisted dying began when I was invited to attend the HOPE International Symposium in Adelaide, featuring anti-euthanasia speakers from around the world.* There, I heard dire warnings about what was happening in Belgium, the Netherlands and Oregon – where laws to help people die already exist. At their heart lay two key accusations: that the safeguards don’t work, and that the elderly and disabled were threatened. I took careful note. Many months later – having taken off overseas to see if their warnings held true, and spoken to experts worldwide – I sat down with HOPE’s founder and director, Paul Russell, to talk through what I’d learned. * HOPE director Paul Russell has pointed out that he did not invite Andrew Denton to attend a HOPE symposium in May 2015 but rather that he agreed for Andrew to attend. We are happy to correct the record. 'I think what concerns me most is the stuff that you almost can't prove, you know.' Paul Russell, founder and director, HOPE: preventing euthanasia & assisted suicide Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Know more Editorial: 'Final certainty' – Economist, 27 June 2015 (source) Opinion: 'The tide is turning in Australia's euthanasia debate', by Peter Singer – Age, 2 March 2016 In this episode Paul Russell Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode is 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Camilla Hannan. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#15 Lawrie's Story

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2016 43:50

Of all the arguments against assisted dying, the most heartless I’ve heard is this: Suicide is legal. Why do you need assistance to do something that you can do yourself? Every time I hear that thought expressed (and I’ve heard it more than once while making this podcast), I’m astonished at the ease with which the people saying it manage to completely overlook the suffering of the people they’re talking about. In this episode, we’re going to meet one of those people: father of two, Lawrie Daniel. At 50, and stricken with MS, what does it mean to Lawrie to be told, ‘suicide is legal – what’s stopping you?’ Lawrie and Rebecca Daniel at home — Photo: Andrew Denton 'Through MS, I've pretty much lost my fear of dying, because sometimes I think there are things that are worse than death.' Lawrie Daniel Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Know more Review: 'Book review: Kevin Yuill, "Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalization"', by Iain Brassington – Journal of Medical Ethics blog, 3 July 2013 In this episode Kevin Yuill Lawrie Daniel Rebecca Daniel Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Loneliness #3 (Night Talking)' (Arcade Fire), 'Our Own Roof' (Nils Frahm), 'All Farewells Are Sudden' (A Winged Victory for the Sullen), 'They Move on Tracks of Never-ending Light' (This Will Destroy You) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music head marketing ms executives suicide editing lifeline arcade fire medical ethics paul kelly michael williams lawrie kids helpline sullen andrew denton wheeler centre sony atv suicide call back service mensline jon tjhia bec fary martin peralta

#14 Australia's Dark Little Secret

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2016 52:55

The repeated call by opponents of assisted dying is that the elderly and the vulnerable must be protected from coercion. In this, they are right – and there are many safeguards built into existing laws overseas which do exactly that. But what of the elderly described in this episode by two of Australia’s coroners: rational men and women from loving families – who, faced with an irreversible and painful decline into death, are deciding to kill themselves violently instead? Left: Joan Upton (with cake) pictured with her children Greg, Annette and Robert. Right: Philip Nitschke — Photos: Supplied If the law offers them no other way to end their suffering, who could be more coerced than them? And yet, on these vulnerable Australians – including beloved mothers, fathers, partners and grandparents – the opponents are silent. This silence needs to be challenged. It’s time we talked about Australia’s dark little secret. 'They all know it – including doctors. They know that this person is screaming for help but no one is going to answer this call. Not in this society. So they have got to die alone.' Victorian Coroner John Olle, appearing before the Parliament of Victoria's 2015 Inquiry into End Of Life Choices Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Frances Coombe Robert ‘Brownie’ Brown was a much-loved and prominent figure in South Australia’s environmental conservation movement. Faced with a life of physical decline, where he could no longer do the things that were important to him, Brownie made the decision to end his life. Unusually, the 94-year-old left a note for the coroner – emphasising that he didn’t want depression listed as the cause of his suicide. Andrew spoke with South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society president Frances Coombe – a woman to whom Brownie was a close friend and mentor for over six decades – about the grim choice being made by many elderly Australians. Know more Transcript: 'Standing committee on legal and social issues: Inquiry into end-of-life choices' (PDF), including statements by coroner John Olle – Parliament of Victoria, 7 October 2015 (source) Interactive: 'The big sleep', by Julia Medew – Sydney Morning Herald, 12 January 2016 Article: 'Shaw family calls for Victorian Government to consider assisted death laws', by Julia Medew – Age, 16 February 2016 Article: 'Brighton couple found dead in 'suicide pact'', by Lucie Morris-Marr – Herald Sun, 13 November 2015 (paywall) Opinion: 'Somebody kill my grandmother. Please', by Sian Prior – Age, 13 November 2015 Opinion: 'My mother euthanased herself. Was it empowerment, or despair?', by Nikki Gemmell – Australian, 16 January 2016 Opinion: 'Andrew Denton has fallen for the doctors' spin on the euthanasia debate', by Fiona Stewart – Brisbane Times, 8 November 2015 Article: 'Philip Nitschke: I don't judge people at all if they want to die', by Melissa Davey – Guardian, 27 December 2015 Article: 'SA coroner calls for debate about elderly people who end their lives alone', by Simon Royal – ABC News, 7 February 2015 In this episode Joan Upton Annette Upton Marshall Perron Mark Johns John Olle (re-enacted by Andrew Martin) Philip Nitschke Kevin Yuill Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'I Am Piano' (Peter Broderick), 'Quiet' (This Will Destroy You), 'Says' (Nils Frahm), 'She/Swimming' (Moon Ate the Dark), 'Portrait Gallery' (Luke Howard), 'They Move on Tracks of Never-ending Light' (This Will Destroy You) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#13 Now They're Killing Babies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2016 57:36

Assisted dying has no more committed opponent than the Catholic Church. They have thrown resources, and the full weight of their political influence, against it wherever it has been proposed. That’s why the words of Sydney’s Archbishop Anthony Fisher – one of Australia’s most senior Catholic clerics, and a man who commands the ear of many politicians – are worth listening to. Archbishop Anthony Fisher, debating ethicist Peter Singer at Sydney Town Hall, 13 August 2015 — Source: YouTube Listen closely, and what you’ll hear is a masterclass in FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. The same seeds sown by opponents of assisted dying to great effect down the years. What lies inside those little seeds of FUD? In this episode – for the first time – we’re going to find out. 'I think it's almost unheard of that the elderly feel more as a burden and the opposite is true. They feel empowered by this, it strengthens them.' Joeri Veen, spokesperson for ANBO – a peak body representing the Dutch elderly – discussing the impact of euthanasia laws on ANBO’s members Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: interview with Tom Keneally Tom Keneally is one of Australia’s best-loved and most successful authors – and a former Catholic seminarian. Here, he discusses the belief of some Catholics that pain can purify, and that suffering redeems the soul. Know more Video: 'Q&A: Facing Death' – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 November 2015 Article: 'FactCheck Q&A: Were 550 babies killed last year under Dutch euthanasia laws?', by Colleen Cartwright (reviewed by Lorana Bartels and Jan F. Koper) – The Conversation, 16 November 2015 Opinion: 'Assisted dying: Sorting the facts from the half-truths and the misleading statements', by Ross Fitzgerald – Age, 15 December 2015 Video: 'Lord Carey on Assisted Dying – July 2014' – Christina Summers, 19 August 2015 Website: Christians Supporting Choice for Voluntary Euthanasia Video: 'Euthanasia debate: Professor Peter Singer versus Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP' – Sydney University Catholic Society, 13 August 2015 In this episode Anthony Fisher Nancy Elliott Catherine Glenn Foster Nick Cooling Alex Schadenberg John Fleming Henk Reitsema Kevin Yuill Joan Hume Illya Soffer Pierre Gyselinck Bob Joondeph Joeri Veen Mie Moerenhout Cheryll Brounstein Eduard Verhagen Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Untitled #8 (Popplagith)' (Sigur Rós), 'Hold Me Through' (Luke Howard), 'I Might be Wrong' (Radiohead) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary and Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thanks to field producer Emily Sexton, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music head australia marketing executives doubt catholic uncertainty dutch catholic church editing catholics lifeline sorting assisted untitled peter singer paul kelly michael williams sigur r kids helpline andrew denton wheeler centre sony atv killing babies suicide call back service sydney town hall mensline emily sexton anbo jon tjhia bec fary martin peralta

#12 Velvet Ray

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2016 52:28

Ray Godbold is a palliative care nurse faced with terminal cancer – but he doesn’t want to die in palliative care. Robyn and Ray Godbold — Photo: Andrew Denton Ray knows what some doctors prefer not to admit. He knows that, even in palliative care, not everything can be taken care of; that a patient’s choices about how they die are very limited; and that, sometimes, their dying involves a wildness nobody can predict. What Ray doesn’t know is that his own death will turn out to be everything he was hoping that he and his family would be spared. 'I've been there when lots of people have had terrible deaths. No matter what palliative care people say, the last 24 to 48 hours of somebody's life can be completely unexpected.' Ray Godbold Ray and Robyn Godbold's children: Tara, Ella and Rory — Photo: Andrew Denton Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Ray at Tullamarine Airport — Photo: Robyn Godbold Know more Article: 'Right to die: Dr Rodney Syme hands patient Ray Godbold life-ending medication', by Konrad Marshall – Age, 11 May 2015 Multimedia feature: 'Into the darkness', by Konrad Marshall – Age, 13 November 2014 Article: 'Dying with Dignity campaigner Ray Godbold farewelled by family', by Konrad Marshall – Age, 19 August 2015 Article: 'The right to die at home', by Chris Fotinopoulos – Saturday Paper, 5 December 2015 Transcript of testimony (PDF): 'Standing committee on legal and social issues: Inquiry into end-of-life choices', by Rory Godbold and Tara Szafraniec – Parliament of Victoria, 29 October 2015 In this episode Ray Godbold Robyn Godbold Ella Godbold Rory Godbold Tara Szafraniec (née Godbold) Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Life Story' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'Longplay' (Luke Howard), 'Familiar' (Nils Frahm), 'We're All Leaving' (Arcade Fire), 'Abandon Window' (Jon Hopkins), 'Ain't No Grave Going to Hold Me Down' (Charlie Parr), 'untitled #1 (vaka)' (Sigur Rós) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Jess Fairfax. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#11 Whose life is it anyway?: palliative care in Australia, part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2016 55:44

Associate Professor Richard Chye is the director of the Sacred Heart palliative care unit at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. A gifted physician and teacher, he is also a hugely influential figure in palliative care in Australia. Apart from being a member of various state and national committees, he’s a board member of Palliative Care Australia – the peak national organisation. Responding to my request, Richard invited me to spend a week with his team to see what they do – and to discuss the subject of assisted dying. Two things stood out as I watched the doctors and nurses of palliative care go about their work: the compassion and care from everyone as they helped people to die in often complex circumstances; and just as apparent, a deep resistance to the thought of assisted dying. Exactly how deep I didn’t realise – until I sat down to speak with Richard. Shayne Higson (second left), pictured with her sisters and their mother Jan (farthest right) who died of brain cancer: 'I thought that [with] terminal sedation … there would be no suffering, but that's not right' — Photo: supplied 'Love has got many ways of operating, I think … and I believe that assisting someone to die can be a loving act.' Professor Ian Maddocks, first Chair of Palliative Care at Flinders University, and first President of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Palliative Medicine Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Know more Letter: From Ian Maddocks – The Monthly, February 2016 Article: 'Euthanasia isn’t a substitute for palliative care at the end of life', by Richard Chye – Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November 2015 Article: 'Andrew Denton: Doctors shouldn't look away when dying patients are suffering', by Andrew Denton – Sydney Morning Herald, 10 November 2015 Blog post: 'Denton lacks understanding of dying process – a social worker’s perspective', by Elissa Campbell – Palliverse, 13 November 2015 Video: 'Even the best palliative care can't always help' – Dying For Choice, 19 September 2013 In this episode Richard Chye Ian Maddocks Shayne Higson Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes '21:05' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'You Know Me Well' (Sharon Van Etten), 'The Shooting' (Nils Frahm), 'All of Me Wants All of You' (Sufjan Stevens), 'Videotape' (Radiohead) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary. Thank you Thanks to Stanley Street Gallery, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

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#10 Neither hasten nor prolong death: palliative care in Australia, part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2016 48:08

Speaking with doctors in Belgium, the Netherlands and Oregon, I’d learnt that in those places, palliative care and assisted dying are seen as things that go together – and assisting a patient to die may sometimes be the ultimate offer of help for those beyond the skills of even the most dedicated palliative care experts. Spencer Ratcliff had never witnessed such pain as he saw during his partner Deb's final days – pain which palliative care staff were unable to relieve: 'I said, "What are we supposed to do? Just sit and watch her scream herself to death in pain?"' — Photo: Andrew Denton Back home in Australia, the law forbids assisted dying. Without a law to protect or guide doctors and nurses, I wondered: how does palliative care here deal with those same kinds of patients? Richard Chye is the director of palliative care at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. When I asked him if I could spend a week in his unit to learn what it is they do, I was upfront with him. I told him I believed there should be a law for assisted dying in Australia – not a subject often raised within their walls – and that it would be one of many things I’d like to discuss with him and his team. To my surprise, and to his credit, he agreed. By the end of that week, two things struck me about the doctors and nurses of Sacred Heart. First: their deep commitment to, and compassion towards, their patients. And second: the universal acknowledgement of how hard they found it when a patient was beyond their help. 'I think we do provide dignity and good care, and the majority of the time, symptoms are managed well. But there are occasions when a symptom isn’t controlled, or someone has a rough journey – for whatever reason, you know – and you do think about that.' Nursing unit manager Ken Webb Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Alex Broom Alex Broom, Professor at Sociology at the University of NSW, spent six months embedded in a Catholic hospice. His was the first study in Australia to explore patients’ views on assisted dying. What he got was a unique insight into the gulf that exists between many patients’ expressed wish for help to die, and the response they receive. Know more Article: 'The speech on dying you were prevented from hearing', by Michael Short – Sydney Morning Herald, 26 May 2015 Article: 'OPINION: Time to act on medically assisted dying', by Brian Winship – Newcastle Herald, 19 June 2015 Blog post: 'Denton lacks understanding of dying process – a social worker’s perspective', by Elissa Campbell – Palliverse, 13 November 2015 Video: 'Even the best palliative care can't always help' – Dying For Choice, 19 September 2013 In this episode Nancy Fran Nam Therese Compton Ken Webb Philip Redelman Spencer Ratcliff Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes '23:17' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'In the Deep Shade' (The Frames), 'We're All Leaving' (Arcade Fire), 'They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light' (This Will Destroy You), 'Black Sands' (Bonobo), 'Petra' (Blue Dot Sessions), 'All of Me Wants All of You' (Sufjan Stevens), 'Says' (Nils Frahm) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thanks to Stanley Street Gallery, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music university death head australia marketing speaking professor oregon hospitals executives catholic netherlands belgium sociology editing lifeline nsw palliative care st vincent sacred heart paul kelly michael williams prolong hasten nils frahm arnalds kids helpline andrew denton wheeler centre sony atv suicide call back service mensline jon tjhia martin peralta me wants all stanley street gallery

#9 Why should one church decide for all of us? Death with dignity in Oregon

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2016 49:51

The success of Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act – at 18 years, the world’s longest-running law of this kind – puts two things into sharp relief. Firstly, the increasingly desperate attempts of opponents to discredit it. Secondly, the truth they don’t want you to see – that this law works, and exactly as intended. How that law came to pass in such a religiously conservative country stands as a masterclass in public policy, and one that set the template other US states have since followed. Brittany Maynard: 'I would like all Americans to have access to the same healthcare rights' — Source: YouTube The most significant of these was California, which in 2015 adopted Oregon’s law – thanks in no small part to a woman named Brittany Maynard. Brittany was just 29, and dying of brain cancer, when she left her home in California to go and live in Oregon, where the law offered her a choice about how she died. Her decision to use her dying days to campaign publicly for a similar law in California made her a household name, with her videos attracting over 16 million views on YouTube. As he signed California’s End of Life Option Act into law, Governor Jerry Brown – a Catholic – said: ‘I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn’t deny that right to others.’ 'I think we do a much better job because of this law. It’s done exactly what it’s supposed to, and more.' Leigh Dolin, former president of the Oregon Medical Association Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Peg Sandeen Peg Sandeen is the executive director of the Death With Dignity National Center in Portland, Oregon. Here, she describes how Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act works, and the campaign to take it to other states in America. Know more Article: 'Twenty Years of Living with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act', by Eli Stutsman – GP Solo vol. 30 no. 4, 2013 Report: 'Oregon's Death with Dignity Act – 2014' – Oregon Public Health Division, 2015 Radio: 'California: Euthanasia' – The Law Report, ABC RN, 27 October 2015 Video: 'Brittany Maynard Legislative Testimony' – Brittany Maynard/CompassionChoices (YouTube), 31 March 2015 Article: 'Terminally Ill Woman Brittany Maynard Has Ended Her Own Life', by Nicole Weisensee Egan – People, 2 November 2014 Video: 'Brittany Maynard's mother: Help me carry out her legacy' – The Telegraph (YouTube), 22 January 2015 Article: 'California's governor has signed a bill legalising doctor-assisted dying' – Economist, 6 October 2015 In this episode Eli Stutsman Derek Humphry Leigh Dolin Kevin Yuill Alex Schadenberg Nancy Elliott Catherine Glenn Foster Katrina Hedberg Daniel E. Lee Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Haust' (Ólafur Arnalds), 'Dead Radio' (Rowland S. Howard), 'The Puritan' (This Will Destroy You), 'Petiatil Cx Htdui' (Aphex Twin), 'LSD' (ASAP Rocky), 'I Might be Wrong' (Radiohead), 'Between Stones' (Blue Dot Sessions) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thanks to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#8 Darkness visible: Marjorie, Edith and Laura: Belgium, part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2016 55:28

Shortly after arriving in Belgium, I learned of ‘Laura’ – a 24-year-old woman who had sought the right to be euthanised after years of unrelieved mental suffering. Immediately, I heard alarm bells. My gut reaction? A 24-year-old who’s not terminally ill? Surely there’s a point at which a society says ‘no: you have too much life ahead of you for us to help you die’. If you’d asked me to tell you the point where it began to feel uncomfortable, this was it. After years of deep isolation, Marjorie Vangansbeke went to ULteam in pursuit of euthanasia. Instead, she came away with a diagnosis that helped her re-embrace her life — Photo: Emily Sexton The days that followed, where I talked with some of Belgium’s leading psychiatrists and physicians, were amongst the most intense I’ve ever experienced. Emotionally, I couldn’t shake the thought that this didn’t seem right. But intellectually, I wondered: is there more here than I know? To be honest, I toyed with not including this story in the podcast: it is so fraught with ambiguity and nuance that I feared it could easily be misunderstood. But two things persuaded me to continue with it. Firstly, that it was the people treating this young woman who had alerted me to her case. They wanted me to look at it – to try and understand. And secondly? A meeting I had, two hours out of Brussels, with a man whose sadness was so intense it was almost visible. The story he told me would change my understanding of the world. It led me to a question I had never considered before: what if the offer of euthanasia could actually save lives? Pierre Pol Vincke and his daughter Edith who, after 18 years of severe mental illness and many denied attempts to seek relief through euthanasia, took her own life while in a psychiatric ward — Photos: supplied 'She realised that she was already dead, and whenever she asked for help for euthanasia, the answer of the doctors was to condemn her to stay alive.' Pierre Pol Vincke Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: interview with Dirk De Wachter Psychiatric euthanasias are the most difficult, and in some quarters, the most disputed of all forms of assisted dying. Here, Dirk De Wachter – one of Belgium’s leading psychiatrists, and author of the best-selling Borderline Times – discusses the complexities of a practice that he nonetheless cautiously supports. Know more Video: '24 & ready to die' – Economist, 10 November 2015 Article: 'Belgian bishops, pros agree: no euthanasia for "psychological suffering"', by Jonathan Luxmoore – CatholicPhilly.com, 11 December 2015 Article: 'A commentary on "Euthanasia for psychiatric patients: ethical and legal concerns about the Belgian practice" from Claes et al.', by Lieve Thienpont and Monica Verhofstadt – BMJ Open, 5 January 2016 In this episode Marjorie Vangansbeke Lieve Thienpont Luc Proot Pierre Pol Vincke Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes '20:17' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'Tunnel' (Luke Howard), 'Familiar' (Nils Frahm), 'Dedication, Loyalty' (Nils Frahm), 'Hand, be Still' (Ólafur Arnalds), 'White Night' (Ludovico Einaudi) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Jess Fairfax. Thank you Thanks to field producer Emily Sexton, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music head marketing executives belgium editing emotionally brussels belgians lifeline euthanasia paul kelly michael williams claes nils frahm arnalds kids helpline andrew denton wheeler centre sony atv suicide call back service dirk de wachter darkness visible mensline emily sexton jon tjhia borderline times martin peralta

#7 The killing fields of Belgium: Belgium, part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2016 48:09

If there is an epicentre for anti-euthanasia sentiment, it’s Belgium – home to what are often described as the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world. Here, people of any age – even, in some circumstances, children – can be euthanised. Allegations are made of a euthanasia culture that has become so uncaring that the elderly are regularly despatched without their consent. The word ‘murder’ is sometimes used. Arsène Mullie speaks to Andrew Denton — Photo: Emily Sexton Tom Mortier — Photo: alexschadenberg.blogspot.com Yet for all these claims, since Belgium’s euthanasia law was introduced in 2002, public support for it remains phenomenally high (over 80%) – and there has been no procession of Belgians coming forward to complain about what the law has done to their families. Which is why Tom Mortier’s story is so powerful. Alleging the wrongful death of his mother under this law, he has put a human face to the slippery slope. Tom’s story is being used around the world as the ultimate cautionary tale about the fluidity of Belgium’s laws. There’s no doubting the pain that he feels. But is it a true reflection of a law – and a society – gone wrong? 'How can you say that you don't want to help if you're in palliative care? What do you do then with patients who want euthanasia? How can you say to a patient who suffers, "keep suffering, tomorrow it will be better"?' Arsène Mullie, retired senior palliative care physician, Flanders Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Marc Desmet No doctor comes to the question of euthanasia lightly. In Belgium – a predominantly Catholic country – questions of faith, morality, and ethics often collide. Here’s palliative care physician, and Jesuit, Marc Desmet discussing his own complex relationship with euthanasia. Know more Article: 'Attitudes towards assisted dying' – Economist, 27 June 2015 Article: 'The death treatment', by Rachel Aviv – The New Yorker, 22 June 2015 In this episode Tom Mortier Yves Desmet Arsène Mullie Alex Schadenberg Jan Bernheim Margaret Otlowski Luc Proot Kevin Yuill Jacqueline Herremans Lieve Thienpont Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'We Disappear' (Jon Hopkins), 'B1' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'A2 (Max Cooper remix)' (Nils Frahm), 'Abandon Window' (Jon Hopkins), 'Hunting Bears' (Radiohead), 'I Might be Wrong' (Radiohead), 'Against the Sky' (Harold Budd and Brian Eno), 'Hammers' (Nils Frahm), 'The Mighty Rio Grande' (This Will Destroy You) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Head of Marketing and Communications Emily Harms, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Bec Fary. Thank you Thanks to field producer Emily Sexton, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

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#6 Once you start killing, you can't stop: the Netherlands, part 2

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2016 45:30

For those who hold out the Netherlands as a textbook case of a ‘slippery slope’, they see a law originally designed to help the terminally ill – but that has now ‘slipped’ to include those who aren’t. But the Dutch law wasn’t written to deal only with certain diseases; guided by doctors themselves, it was deliberately created for people whose suffering is ‘unbearable and untreatable’. Barbara Heetman: 'My mother had to say totally from her own brain, heart, whatever, ‘I want this."' — Photo: Emily Sexton This might include, for example, people with long-term, corrosive illnesses such as multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease. In some circumstances, it may even include people with Alzheimer’s. But if the basis of your law is that only a mentally competent adult can request euthanasia, how do you deal with cases where that competence is unclear? Barbara Heetman’s mother, Jeanne, applied to be euthanised before losing herself in the fog of Alzheimer’s. Her request was considered by the End of Life Clinic (Levenseindekliniek) that specialises in complex euthanasia requests. The many steps Jeanne had to go through to prove she was mentally competent provide a powerful demonstration of the care with which Dutch euthanasia law is carried out – and an equally powerful rebuttal of claims of a slippery slope. Gerrit Kimsma: 'We are being transparent and I think we have a good system. We should be proud of it.' — Photo: Emily Sexton 'It is not something doctors like to do; they don’t. If you can get around euthanasia as a doctor, you will do it, because it costs you.' Mariska Koster, a Dutch doctor, describing the impact of being involved in a euthanasia death Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: interview with Willie Swildens Willie Swildens-Rozendaal has chaired the Netherlands’ euthanasia review committees since their inception. Here, she takes you through how they operate, and the safeguards built into the system. Know more Article: 'Attitudes towards assisted dying' – Economist, 27 June 2015 Article: 'The Last Day of Her Life', by Robin Marantz Henig – New York Times Magazine, 14 May 2015 In this episode Mariska Koster Theo Boer Steven Pleiter Gerrit Kimsma Eric van Wijlick Barbara Heetman Alex Schadenberg Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Four' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'In Utero' (subaske), 'B1' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'Me' (Nils Frahm), 'For' (Nils Frahm), 'L$D' (ASAP Rocky), 'Slow Show' (The National), 'Hands, Be Still' (Ólafur Arnalds) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Thank you Thanks to field producer Emily Sexton, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music head hands executives killing netherlands alzheimer's disease dutch editing lifeline paul kelly michael williams nils frahm arnalds kids helpline andrew denton wheeler centre sony atv suicide call back service emily sexton mensline jon tjhia martin peralta

#5 The keys to life and death in someone else's hands: the Netherlands, part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2016 31:48

The Netherlands’ euthanasia laws are the longest-running in Europe. Surprisingly, the drive to create them didn’t come from politicians; it came from doctors. Recognising that, like doctors in many countries (including our own), they were already assisting people to die, they pushed for a law that would bring the practice into the light – protecting both them and their patients. The Hoffman sisters, interviewed in this episode — Photo: Emily Sexton In Australia, we hear lots of dark things about the slippery slope the Dutch are sliding down. Critics suggest that their euthanasia laws have spawned a system of legalised killing that is now running out of control. But what we never hear are the voices of the Dutch themselves. So I decided to go there to find out, first hand, how this system works – and if it really is out of control. After all, this is a country where euthanasia not only has support across the political spectrum and from all the major medical bodies – but also has one of the highest levels of public approval in the world. Perhaps there’s more to these laws than we’ve been told? 'It only lasted five minutes, but when I think back about it, it feels like a whole life – because we had this humour and this pure love feeling in the house. And I know for sure, and I can say with a hand on my heart, this is exactly how mother wants this.' Marian Hoffman – describing the euthanasia of her mother, Gret, who was dying of cancer Eric van Wijlick and Andrew Denton — Photo: Emily Sexton Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: interview with Rob Jonquière The Dutch Right To Die Organisation, known locally as the NVVE, is 160,000 members strong – bigger than any political party in the Netherlands. They are essentially the patient’s advocates, advising them about their end of life choices and arguing for their rights under the law. Listen to former NVVE chief executive (and at the time of this interview, their interim director), Rob Jonquière. Know more Article: 'The Right to Die' – The Economist, 27 June 2015 Article: 'Euthanasia on the rise in Netherlands', by Xavier Symons – BioEdge, 10 October 2015 Article: 'The Last Days of Annie Bus: A Chronicle of Dutch Euthanasia', by Laura Höflinger – Der Spiegel, 4 February 2015 In this episode Alex Schadenberg Theo Boer Henk Reitsema Susan Hoffman Marian Hoffman Eric van Wijlick Gerrit Kimsma Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'I Might be Wrong' (Radiohead), 'Life Story' (Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm), 'Loftið Verður Skyndilega Kalt' (Ólafur Arnalds), 'Says' (Nils Frahm) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Camilla Hannan. Thank you Thanks to field producer Emily Sexton, and to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

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#4 It can never be perfect, so why try and improve it?

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2016 32:03

Opponents of assisted dying in Australia want to leave things as they are, because of the worrying things they claim might happen if we did have a law. But what about the worrying things that actually are happening because we don’t have one? 'They find themselves often initially charged with murder and … I don't think that society needs or requires that.' Former Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions, John Coldrey Left to right – Cathy Pryor; her mother Anne; her father Peter — Photos: Supplied It is illegal in Australia to aid or abet a suicide, no matter the circumstances. This is, rightly, so that people aren’t encouraged to take their own lives when they are deeply vulnerable, or for someone else’s personal gain. But it doesn’t take into account people like former Tasmanian nurse Cathy Pryor. In the space of six months, Cathy assisted both her grievously ill parents to die. She was charged with, and found guilty, of attempted murder and assisting a suicide. Cathy went to jail until a judge decided that both were clearly acts of compassion, and allowed her to walk free. The record shows Cathy is a convicted criminal. But should she ever have faced trial? According to former Victorian Director Of Public Prosecutions, John Coldrey, it is inappropriate that someone acting out of love should have to go through what Cathy went through. As a judge, Coldrey has himself been faced with similar crimes. He recounts his emotional decision to let Victorian man Alex Maxwell walk free after assisting his cancer-stricken wife to die. In a society when there is no law for assisted dying – but where people are being assisted to die anyway – Coldrey is just one of many who believe that our law around assisted dying needs to be reconsidered. Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Bill and Stuart Godfrey In 2004, Tasmanian man Stuart Godfrey was charged with assisting his mother, Elizabeth, to die. He faced a maximum sentence of 21 years in jail and received a 12 month suspended sentence conditional on good behaviour. Stuart hasn’t spoken publicly since the day he left court. Now, he breaks his silence. Know more Research sources: Do Australian Doctors Assist Patients to Die? Article: 'Nurse set to appeal over conviction', by Maria Rae – The Examiner, 20 December 2005 Article: 'Assisted suicide case prompts calls for euthanasia law review' – ABC News, 20 December 2005 Article: 'Police question Nagambie GP over "lethal dose" to help patient die', by Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie – The Age, 18 December 2015 Article: 'Having a choice about how and when my mum died would have provided her with comfort and peace', by Rachel Friend – Daily Telegraph, 15 November 2015 Article: 'Dear Mum, sorry I didn't kill you', by Tracey Spicer – Sydney Morning Herald, 13 June 2013 Video: 'Dangers of Legalized Euthanasia? - Tony Abbott' – FORA.tv, 6 April 2009 Video: 'IQ2 Debate: Should Euthanasia Be Legalized?' – FORA.tv, 2 March 2009 In this episode Cathy Pryor John Coldrey Coral Levett Rodney Syme Margaret Otlowski Marshall Perron Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Hold Me Through' (Luke Howard), 'The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)' (Sunn O))) and Boris), 'Hand, Be Still' (Olafur Arnalds), 'Dysnomia' (Dawn of Midi), 'We (Too) Shall Rest' (Olafur Arnalds), 'Burial on the Presidio Banks' (This Will Destroy You), 'I Might Be Wrong' (Radiohead), 'Weatherman Accountable' (Big Noble), 'Videotape' (Radiohead) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Additional editing by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Thank you to Stanley Street Gallery in Sydney. Thanks also to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

music head australia executives stuart victorian editing boris lifeline fora opponents midi tasmanian paul kelly michael williams kids helpline andrew denton public prosecutions wheeler centre richard baker sony atv sunn o suicide call back service mensline alex maxwell jon tjhia martin peralta stanley street gallery

#3 The 80-year-old outlaw

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2016 32:24

According to Canadian anti-euthanasia campaigner Alex Schadenberg, Melbourne doctor Rodney Syme is a threat to society: a ‘cowboy’ and ‘the worst of the worst’. Why? Because for over a decade now, Syme has been publicly assisting terminally and chronically ill patients to die – despite the threat of jail for doing so. How did a respectable 80-year-old urologist come to be a law-breaking cowboy? Melbourne urologist Rodney Syme — Photo: supplied 'I thought: what is ethical about me being able to end my own suffering but my patients have to go on?' Rodney Syme Sandra Morris and Albert Leonzini, both featured in this episode — Photo: Emily Sexton It began 40 years ago, with a patient of his who was dying of kidney cancer. Her name was Betty. Syme could hear her screams from the foyer of the hospital. He didn’t know how to help her – but his conscience was pricked. Syme knew that, as a doctor, if he were in the same kind of pain, he could find drugs – or help from other doctors – that would mean he didn’t have to suffer like Betty. He began to wonder: why should he have access to this help, but not his patients? Over the last two decades, Rodney Syme estimates that he’s helped more than 100 people to die. Assisting a suicide carries a maximum five-year jail term in Victoria. But, despite publicly challenging the police to charge him, no charges have yet been laid. In late 2015, on national television, Syme admitted that he had helped Point Lonsdale man Steve Guest to die. He continues to provoke the law in the hope that a new and more compassionate one can be written: one that allows people with unbearable and untreatable suffering to request assistance to die. Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Hear more Embed player Listen Better Off Dead: Interview with Sandra Morris Through Rodney Syme, Albert Leonzini – dying of motor neurone disease – has obtained the lethal, illegal drug Nembutal, which offers him the opportunity to be in control of how he dies. But for all the peace of mind it offers, it still takes great courage to decide to use it. Albert’s partner of 40 years, Sandra Morris, tells what happened next. Know more Audio: Steve Guest calls Jon Faine on 774 ABC Melbourne in 2005 Article: 'The speech on dying you were prevented from hearing', by Michael Short (with a transcript of Rodney Syme's speech) – The Age, 26 May 2015 In this episode Alex Schadenberg Rodney Syme Albert Leonzini Sandra Morris Catherine Glenn Foster Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Says' (Nils Frahm), 'Abandon Window' (Jon Hopkins), 'You Know Me Well' (Sharon Van Etten), 'Remedios The Beauty' (Oren Ambarchi), 'Fall Out' (Mount Kimbie), 'Dissolved Girl' (Massive Attack), 'John My Beloved' (Sufjan Stevens) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. Editing, sound design and mix on this episode is by Martin Peralta. Thank you Thank you to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

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#2 How dare you want to end your life: Liz's story

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2016 32:29

Liz is a dynamic 48 year-old businesswoman who’s dying of cancer. She wants to have a choice about how she dies because she’s been through palliative care. In her words: ‘They can’t control your pain, let me tell you. I’ve been there.’ Liz in her apartment with some of the equipment needed to test the lethal, and illegal, drug Nembutal — Photo: Andrew Denton Illegally importing Nembutal requires a lengthy process of testing to verify its purity. These photos, taken at Liz's house, depict some of that process – which took six hours in total — Photos: Andrew Denton Liz’s first plan was to apply to the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland, the only country in the world that will legally help terminally ill people from other countries to die. But she’s rebuffed by her specialist – who refuses to support her application on the basis that ‘it will mean that I’ve failed at my job.’ In Australia, there is no law for assisted dying, which means that Liz’s only other option, if she wants to have any say over her fate, is to live – and die – outside the law. Plan B involves illegally importing the lethal drug Nembutal. Beyond the arduous testing process – and the ever-present fear of the police knocking on her door – Liz is now faced with the terrible calculus of dying. Does she try and hang on till her son’s wedding, and run the risk that she will suffer the death she fears? Or does she say goodbye to everything she loves, and take Nembutal? And, if she does, how can she do that without incriminating her family? What is it like to live in fear that your death may incriminate the ones you love? That the only solution is to die alone? Welcome to Liz’s world. 'I am fearful of that end road to death when you are actively dying. I know they can't control my pain.' Liz Please note: this podcast is not about suicide. If you are interested in increasing your understanding of suicide and how to support someone experiencing suicidal ideation, visit the Conversations Matter or beyondblue websites.If you (or someone you know) require immediate assistance, contact one of the following 24/7 crisis support services: Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467), MensLine (1300 78 99 78), beyondblue (1300 22 4636), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or eheadspace (1800 650 890). Know more Video: 'More Australians importing illegal euthanasia drug' – Lateline, 13 September 2013 In this episode Liz Rodney Syme Our theme music was composed by Zig Zag Lane for Zapruder's Other Films, and edited by Jon Tjhia. Music used in this episode includes 'Paris, Texas' (Ry Cooder), 'Another Routine Day Breaks' (Brokeback), 'Space Kay' (Daniel Lanois), 'Boga' (Amiina), 'Reach for the Dead' (Boards of Canada), 'Good Times' (Jim O'Rourke), 'Up to Pizmo' (Labradford), 'Plastic Energy Man' (Papa M), 'Ten Day Interval' (Tortoise), 'White Mustang II' (Daniel Lanois), 'Moving Thought' (Lori Scacco feat. Tim Delaney) and 'Forty-Eight Angels' (Paul Kelly). Additional original music and sound design by Jon Tjhia. Your stories If you're suffering, or someone you love has died badly – in a hospital, in palliative care, in a nursing home, or at home – add your voice and tell your story here. Further information Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox and the Wheeler Centre. Executive producers Andrew Denton and Michael Williams. Producer and researcher Bronwen Reid. For Better Off Dead, the Wheeler Centre team includes Director Michael Williams, Head of Programming Emily Sexton, Projects Producer Amita Kirpalani and Digital Manager Jon Tjhia. This episode was edited and mixed by Jon Tjhia. Thank you Liz and her family, and Rodney Syme. Thanks also to Paul Kelly and Sony ATV for the use of his song ‘Forty Eight Angels’. The series Subscribe in iTunes, or your favourite podcast app. #betteroffdeadpod This episode was first published in preview form in November 2015. A number of small edits and changes have occurred in the interim. Better Off Dead is produced by Thought Fox in partnership with the Wheeler Centre. It is written and created by Andrew Denton for Thought Fox.

#1 The invasion of death