Conversations

Steve Bevington talks about his years in the thick of an underground movement of London squatters, who would break into abandoned buildings, change the locks and claim them as their own

Former politician Robert Tickner grew up in country NSW, 'showered with love' by his adoptive parents. When he began the search for his biological mum Maida in his 40s, he discovered she'd been much closer than he ever knew

Mathematician Geordie Williamson spent eight years cracking the code to find the weight of atoms in space (R)

Space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman on the unexpected artefacts of the space age (R)

Jamie Simmonds on the successful relocation of Grantham, Queensland after it was destroyed by catastrophic flooding

When an inland tsunami smashed into a rural Queensland town in January 2011, people were killed and the town destroyed. Jamie Simmonds became the right-hand-man of Mayor Steve Jones, and they led an audacious recovery project

Historian Nick Richardson on the year that changed Australia forever

Rick Shine used one toad to defeat another, by a process of evolutionary conditioning, to save the snakes he was studying in Northern Australia (R)

William wanders through stories of fatherhood, from growing up in Queensland in the 1970s, to raising his own children as a single dad (R) William is one of Australia's best-known storytellers and actors. As his children became adults, he began to reflect on what it means to be a father. William’s dad was a gregarious character, a veteran of World War II, who ran a hire business in Queensland. Des...

Benjamin Gilmour describes the hectic work of saving lives, and what it's like to bring people back from the brink of suicide

How a young woman fell under the spell of spiritual cult leaders in the 1970s

Sean was the first hearing baby to be born to his mother’s family in four generations. He became an Auslan interpreter, and an instantly recognisable figure during Australia's bushfire crisis

Claire grew up running wild in the Banksia forests of Southern Western Australia. As an adult she had a period of homelessness, living on the streets of Melbourne. After learning the truth of her family's story, Claire found her focus

Megan Phelps-Roper grew up inside the notorious Westboro Baptist Church family. In 2012 she left the church, and her family, to live in the world she once reviled

Bryan’s played more than 80 roles on stage and screen. Raised in working-class Sydney, his talent, hard work, and unmistakable presence have been his ticket to the world  (R)

Left totally blind by treatment he received as a premature baby, Ron credits technology, love, and good timing with his success in life and the law (R)

Archie tells of writing Took the Children Away and playing it in public for the first time, of his belated reunion with his siblings, and his love story with Ruby Hunter (R)

Pia began her own seaweed farm after decades as a marine ecologist. One ordinary working day there was a terrible accident (R)

Vickie's met with trouble all through her life, starting with a police record at the age of two. She went on to challenge a Federal law on the rights of prisoners (R)

When comedian Peter Helliar was a child, he was fascinated by the idea of death, and wrote about it endlessly. Then he grew up to become the 'world's happiest comedian'

Tales of the great Australian summer holiday from Mark Trevorrow, Alice Pung, Jack Hoysted and Steph Tisdell

Ben grew up in Drumchapel, a Glasgow housing estate. As a young man, he built a thriving career as a musician, went to University and married. But some years later, he was homeless

Helen recently published her diaries from 1978-1987. They include her thoughts on writing and work, parenting, love affairs, the quest for the right pair of shoes, and the pleasures of mowing the grass Helen is the author of many books, including Monkey Grip, The First Stone, This House of Grief and The Spare Room. Helen's also kept a diary for almost all her life. But until now those exercise boo...

Astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith on how Andromeda is due to collide with our galaxy in five billion years time (R)

How Irving Finkel stumbled upon the true story of the Ark before Noah on a Babylonian clay tablet