Build 'Em Up

‘Senior citizens are the backbone of a town and important for social cohesion. They are not data but living, breathing people who have value. We need to make sure that they age in dignity,’ said Lesley Bryce, Founder of Bell Cares, joining our podcast in episode 29. Bell Cares, on Queensland’s Western Downs, assists seniors to access Home Care Packages. They listened to the needs of their communit...

“When a farm man or woman comes into an ED with a chest pain, ‘how long have you had it ’, is an important question,” says Susan Brumby , Clinical Professor of the Faculty of Health, School of Medicine at Deakin University. “Often they have continued to work or do things before coming in,” she added.  Professor Brumby joins us in Episode 28 of Build ‘Em Up to speak about the importance of health p...

In Episode 27 of Build ‘Em Up , we chat to Matt Linnegar, Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation .  He talks about the need to redefine the word ‘resilience’ for rural communities; to go beyond the meaning of ‘bouncing back’ to ‘bouncing forward’ that gives room to imagine their own future. Matt is a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Program and the first Fellow to l...

In Episode 26 of Build ‘Em Up, we chat to Timmy Duggan, Founder of Hoops 4 Health.   Born and bred in Darwin, Timmy was the first person from the Northern Territory to play in the National Basketball League (NBL), and the only Indigenous Australian to play in the NBL during the 1990s.  Hoops 4 Health combines basketball skills and health activities. It encourages young Aboriginal and Torres Strait...

In Episode 25   of Build ‘Em Up , we chat to Dr Alison Kennedy, Director of the National Centre for Farmer Health.  Dr Kennedy is a behavioural scientist who has lived and worked in Victoria’s rural farming community for almost two decades. Her expertise in rural farmer mental health and suicide prevention has drawn on a range of innovative techniques, including digital interventions, digital stor...

In Episode 24 of Build ‘Em Up , we chat to Caitlin Breheny, Founder and Director of Connect Paediatric Therapy Services , an inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary allied health service that has seen a major increase in demand in the remote Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia.   With a background in early intervention and disability as a speech pathologist, Caitlin identified a distur...

In Episode 23 of Build ‘Em Up , we chat to Judith Meiklejohn, Senior Impact Manager, First Nations Communities, at Orange Sky Australia.  Judith has a background in public health, health research, development practice and oral health, and has been working with rural and remote Aboriginal communities for over 15 years. Judith’s core role involves creating partnerships with community-controlled orga...

In Episode 22 of Build ‘Em Up, we chat to Sarah Parsons, the Creative Producer and CEO of Outback Theatre for Young People (OTYP) in Deniliquin.  OTYP engages with young people from regional and remote communities to create distinctive contemporary theatre through collaborative processes. The projects create an inclusive and supportive creative environment, where young people have the opportunity...

In Episode 21 of Build ‘Em Up, we chat to Dr Jennifer (Jenny) May, Director of the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health.  Jenny oversees the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) Program in North Western NSW, the Tablelands and on the North Coast.  Complimentary to her UONDRH position, Jenny maintains an active clinical practice. She is engaged at a local not-for-profit GP p...

In Episode 20 of Build ‘Em Up, we chat to Mary O’Brien, founder, director and CEO of Are You Bogged Mate? , a charity that helps country men talk about mental health and suicide. Mary is a passionate advocate for agriculture, was raised on the land and has worked with, for and beside country men - most importantly, she knows how to talk to them! Are You Bogged Mate? connects country men with lifes...

In Episode 19 of Build ‘Em Up, we chat to Stephanie Trethewey, founder of Motherland , about her journey as a mother and how she became passionate about supporting rural mothers across Australia. It takes a village to raise a child, but according to Stephanie, it can be a challenge to find that village in parts of rural Australia. Motherland, therefore, is an online platform for rural mothers crav...

In Episode 18 of Build ‘Em Up , we hear from delegates to the 16th National Rural Health Conference (NRHC), held on 2-4 August 2022 in Brisbane, on their motivations for working rurally, as well as their suggestions to improve rural health service delivery. We hear stories of courage and resilience, and the strong partnerships built to improve rural health care accessibility. Thank you to all spea...

In Episode 17 of Build ‘Em Up   we chat to Annabelle Hickson, founder and editor-in-chief of Galah magazine . Annabelle is on a mission to change the narrative about rural living, celebrating the beauty, opportunity, creativity, cultural diversity and community that thrives outside of our major cities. We discuss the importance of this cultural shift in relation to the recruitment and retention of...

Episode 16 of Build ‘Em Up is guest hosted by Jennifer Ganske, National Tourism and Arts Head at NBN. She chats to Paulene Mackell from the National Ageing Research Institute about the “Art centres supporting our elders” research program, looking at the impact of the Community Controlled Art Centres model of Indigenous Art Centres on connectivity and health and wellbeing.

In Episode 15 we chat with Nicki Bardwell, CEO of Fair Game. Fair Game has been around for over 10 years and delivers unique health and fitness programs and pre-loved sporting equipment to remote and under-serviced communities around Australia, predominantly in WA.

In Episode 14 we chat with Emma Sullings, founder of the Happy Boxes Project . This charity provides toiletries and beauty products to women and girls in remote parts of Australia. Their network of coordinators in remote communities help to ensure “happy boxes” of personal care items reach those most in need. 

In Episode 13 we chat with Sallie Jones and Steve Ronalds, co-founders of Gippsland Jersey . Gippsland Jersey is giving dairy farmers a fair gate-price for their local milk and supporting farmers’ mental health. This episode includes discussion of mental health issues, so if it raises any concerns for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

In Episode 12 we chat with Kylie Toynton , a speech pathologist from Gunnedah in north-west NSW who is building a digital service – with the support of an nbnTM Innovate grant – to offer synchronous online allied health therapy and training packages for parents, teachers and schools.

In Episode 11 of Build ‘Em Up we chat to Bendigo GP Kirby White who responded to the COVID-19 PPE crisis by hand-sewing protective gowns to give to doctors free of charge, and then setting up her initiative Gowns for Doctors. This was on top of being recently married and establishing her own GP practice just as the pandemic hit Australia. Kirby is yet to find the time to arrange a honeymoon! 

Are you dreaming of a healthier festive season? In Episode 10 of the Build ‘Em Up podcast we catch up with Shanna Whan, the founder of Sober in the Country . Almost single-handedly, Shanna is leading the conversation about alcohol addiction in rural Australia and is working flat strap, day-in and day-out, to change the culture of drinking in the bush through the campaign, it’s OK2SAYNO to an alcoh...

In Episode 9 of Build ‘Em Up we catch up with Richard Fletcher, founder of the SMS4dads campaign, along with Nathan Johnson, a rural dad from Dubbo in Central West NSW. After 20 years of trying to get new fathers to attend parenting sessions, Richard flipped the format and started sending fathers evidence-based tips and support via text message on their phones, to guide them through their parentin...

Episode 8 of Build ‘Em Up is a special podcast with guest host, Jen Beer, a Darlot woman who works with regional and remote communities for nbnTM. We chatted with the team at the Gurriny Yealamucka (Gurriny) Health Service Aboriginal Corporation at Yarrabah in Far North Queensland - Chief Executive Sue Andrews and Medical Director Dr Jason King.  Themes included expanding the medical perspective o...

 In Episode 7 of the Build ‘Em Up  podcast we chatted to the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s chief storyteller, Lana Mitchell, about the unique role of the RFDS in supporting communities in the far reaches of Australia. The flight crews and health professionals never forget how privileged they are to be part of the RFDS team that serves the thousands of rural towns, properties, outback stations and...

Aussie professional athlete Sam Tait has a more fulfilling life than he ever dreamed of when he was a young man, which includes going for a medal at the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing next March.  Chatting with the Build ‘Em Up podcast team, the now famous sit-skier shares his journey, including never feeling happier, since a fateful day in 2013 when he came off a motorbike and became a comple...

Drought Angels began with two Queensland friends who wanted to thank local farming families, one at a time, for their unrelenting contribution to Australian agriculture. This gesture, if the form of personal support for life essentials, has grown into an extraordinary national enterprise.   Visit: ruralhealth.org.au/buildemup