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Shane Gould talks on a sports champion's qualities, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of the former champion Australian swimmer Shane Gould talking about what is required to be a champion sportsperson. Gould suggests a high degree of all-round activity is needed at a young age to produce good physical development prior to specialisation in a particular sport. She says that ...

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Robyn Williams talks on communicating science to the public, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of science journalist and broadcaster, Robyn Williams, talking about communicating science to the Australian public and the challenges of overcoming 'woeful ignorance' and 'tremendous confusion'. He suggests that the media and modern education hamper public understanding of science by encouraging ...

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Ron Merkel explains trials before a judge in Australia, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Federal Court of Australia judge Ron Merkel outlining the general procedure for a trial before a judge in Australia. Merkel explains the elements of pleadings, cross-examination of witnesses and final submissions to the judge. He also outlines the way in which a judge prepares ...

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Ron Merkel explains why he retired as a judge, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Federal Court of Australia judge Ron Merkel outlining the reasons why he retired as a judge to resume work as a barrister. Merkel says that Australia had just gone through a period during which human rights had become a 'big issue' and he wanted to focus on human rights in the ...

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Steven Heathcote recalls portraying Ned Kelly, 2005

This is an edited sound recording of leading Australian ballet dancer Steven Heathcote. He is recalling dancing the role of the bushranger Ned Kelly in the Australian Ballet's 1990 production of 'My name is Edward Kelly'. He outlines the mixed public perceptions of the character and the emotional challenges of the role. ...

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Graeme Burgess remembers army training for the Vietnam War, 2006

This is an edited sound recording of a former Australian soldier, Graeme Burgess, speaking about the School of Military Engineering (SME) in Casula in western Sydney where he trained in 1967 before being sent to fight in the Vietnam War. Burgess gives details of the type of engineer training provided at the SME. He also ...

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Jurij Semkiw remembers Australia's first computer, 2006

This is an edited sound recording of 77-year-old Jurij Semkiw talking about Australia's first computer, known as CSIRAC (pronounced 'sigh-rack'), which ran its first simple program in 1949. Semkiw, who was a maintenance engineer on CSIRAC, describes the excitement of being involved in a completely new technology. He also ...

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George Burston's granddaughter describes his 'world tour', 2006

This is a sound recording of Geraldine McFarlane, granddaughter of George William Burston, describing Burston's 1888-89 'world tour' by bicycle with a companion, Harry Stokes. McFarlane outlines the route they took from Melbourne to London, pedalling much of the way on 'penny-farthing' or high-wheeled bicycles, and describes ...

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Ian Ritchie describes the launch of the Blue Streak, 2006

This is an edited sound recording of Ian Ritchie recalling the first launch of a Europa Blue Streak rocket from the Woomera rocket range in South Australia on 5 June 1964. Ritchie, an engine technician at the range, tells of the noise at lift-off and how the first flight of the rocket was cut short. The recording was made ...

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Kerry Alcock describes his Cyclone Larry experience, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of a Queensland banana grower, Kerry Alcock, describing the devastation wrought by Cyclone Larry on his family business plantation in March 2006. Alcock tells how his crop was totally destroyed and how a new crop had to be planted from scratch using about 65,000 'suckers'. He also points ...

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Mauro Gibin recalls migrating from Italy, 2006

This is an edited sound recording of Mauro Gibin, who migrated to Australia from Italy in 1966 with his parents. He recalls that as a 14-year-old, the month-long voyage by ship across the Indian Ocean to Australia was an adventure. Gibin describes his family's fellow emigrants and some of their on-board conversations. He ...

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Ric Havyatt describes bomb disposal work in Darwin, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Ric Havyatt, former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bomb disposal officer during the Second World War (1939-45), describing the way Japanese planes bombed Darwin in the Northern Territory in 1942-43, and how some bombs did not explode, as designed, on impact. He tells how some unexploded ...

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Ian Frazer describes medical research work, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Australian medical scientist Ian Frazer outlining some of the joys and frustrations of a career as a medical researcher. One advantage, he says, is that researchers know that many people may benefit from the work they themselves are enjoying, but he warns against a career as a research ...

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Klaus Scheuermann describes 'welcome home' parades, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Klaus Scheuermann describing the 'welcome home' parade in Brisbane on 12 November 1970 for Australian soldiers who had just returned from South Vietnam. Scheuermann says that the 'fairly rousing welcome' made him and other members of the 8th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment ...

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Bonita Mabo speaks about being a South Sea Islander, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Bonita Mabo, widow of Indigenous land rights activist Eddie Mabo. She discusses being of South Sea Islander descent and talks about how South Sea Islanders were officially recognised as a distinct ethnic group. She states a belief that Islanders such as her ancestors who were brought ...

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Joan Kirner discusses affirmative action for ALP women, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Victorian premier Joan Kirner (1938-) talking about efforts to ensure the election of a higher proportion of female Labor Party politicians in Australia. Kirner explains how, despite the party's adoption of an affirmative action policy for women, a group of Labor women thought ...

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May O'Brien recalls school at the Mount Margaret Mission, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of an interview with Western Australian Aboriginal educator and author May O'Brien. She gives an account of the police practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families in line with government policies of the time. She recalls being fearful as a child of being removed and taken ...

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May O'Brien reflects on becoming an activist, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of an interview with Western Australian Aboriginal educator and author May O'Brien. She recalls beginning secondary school in Perth in 1949 when she was aged 17, and how she went on to become a teacher. She also relates how she campaigned to improve education for all Indigenous children ...

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Jimmy Little outlines his views on racism, 2008

This is an edited sound recording, from July 2008, of Indigenous singer-songwriter Jimmy Little. Little tells how his parents lived on an Aboriginal mission, with their movements very restricted. He also recalls going to a movie theatre where people were separated by race, but says examples of racism such as these were ...

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Robyn Williams talks about inspiring young scientists, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of the leading science journalist and broadcaster, Robyn Williams, offering advice on how to encourage children to be interested in science. Williams states that the 'greatest challenge' is to exploit and maintain a 'natural' interest displayed in early childhood. He suggests that children ...