Big Little Small Talk

Senior Constable Catherine Nielsen’s story is a chilling one. On 29 May 2017, she and her work partner, Brett Forte were in the Lockyer Valley pursuing a fugitive killer. They followed him down a dirt track only for him to stop his vehicle, get out and open fire upon them. Brett was fatally shot. The fallout from this tragedy and the subsequent inquest has left Catherine with more questions than a...

What motivates a group of mild mannered older Australian women to protest outside their local member of parliament’s office every week? Rhonda Allen, Morley Grainger & Franziska Charteris explain to Megan; it’s the fear of what coal and gas mining is doing to our precious planet and what our future generations will inherit. Knitting Nannas call themselves a “disorganisation”, they are not part...

Sharyn Howard has lead an incredible life and she’s written a book; “What’s in the Box” to document her journey so far. From a childhood marred by trauma and loss, Sharyn embarked on a path of liberation that would take her to the farthest corners of the world and into the depths of her own soul. From the monasteries of Tibet to meeting the Dalai Lama in India... from volunteering on Mother Theres...

Ahri Tallon is the coordinator of Darling Downs Environment Council. He grew up in the Northern Rivers region of NSW with parents who valued the environment. Ahri has a strong sense of community and the components that make a “rich” one. From his youth work to programs around healthy masculinity, his advocacy and activism is admirable and inspiring.

In his own words Michael Harrison is a Brisbane-based community advocate, husband, and dad who has found his purpose in supporting people with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities. His life has been shaped by family, career, and the journey he’s been on since becoming a father 18 years ago. A charming interview with a man who can see a silver lining at 100 paces.

Eliza Lebsanft describes herself as empathetic, passionate and loyal. After completing an economics degree she thought she had to get a “serious” job. But what Eliza really wanted to do was keeping working and learning about her part-time job as a dog behaviour therapist. Everything from pack walks, safe socialisation and destination days, Eliza lives and breathes dogs. Eliza is such a delightful...

Ian Stewart Koster is passionate about many things. Painting, horses, timber craftsmanship, the story of Cobb and Co. are but a few. Thankfully for the people of this region, Ian was able to combine all these loves. Funded by community supporters, Ian painted an incredible 15 x 4 metre mural on the side of a building on the corner of Clifford and Margaret Streets, Toowoomba. The mural commemorates...

Tabitha Wordsworth is a biology honours graduate whose life has seen many twists and turns. From writing a book on intensive early intervention for children with autism to selling healing stone jewellery, Tabitha has walked down a lot of roads. She’s honest and raw about her mental health journey and the importance of being connected to others in the community. Tabitha’s story is a fascinating one...

Peter Ellis worked on the coldest, driest, windiest continent on earth - Antartica. In fact he did two tours of duty, each time spending a year living and working at a place known as “the final frontier”. Peter was originally employed as a carpenter but ended up being in charge of the dogs and the dogs breeding program. He recalls the years spent in Antartica with pragmatism and extreme fondness.

Steven Paull is the president of 102.7 FM Toowoomba, the community radio station who broadcasts Big Little Small Talk. Effectively Megan’s boss! The list of Steven’s achievements is long. His family business Big Dog Disability Support Services has empowered countless individuals to thrive within their chosen communities. Steven also believes there should be a value put on volunteering and has work...

Peter Collins is the closest thing to a living legend that Megan has ever met. He has been working in the media for over 40 years, sometimes in front of the camera and sometimes behind. It could be said he’s looked at life from both sides (now). Peter had seen every type of human behaviour; every triumph, every tragedy. Every story is told with humour and gratitude that he was taught by the best i...

Hugh Wilson is passionate about many things but active transport, particularly cycling is right up there. He Is President of the Toowoomba Region Bicycle User Group. They organise social rides and work to improve cycling within the Toowoomba region. Hugh was a stay at home father for his three boys, lives in a sustainable house, has a strong opposition to the chaplaincy in schools program and many...

Jacqui Walker is a well known face in Toowoomba and surrounds. She is a highly respected real estate agent who works hard. She has built a formidable reputation by living by the three golden rules: have passion, be loving and care for others. Jacqui grew up the youngest of five siblings in Warragul, in the Gippsland region of Victoria. She describes her childhood as overwhelmingly loving. Her fath...

Megan checks in again with Rojin Rash who first featured on Big Little Small Talk in 2022.Rojin, along with her husband and young son fled war torn Syria to move to Toowoomba in 2017. They have settled here in Australia, had two more children and contributed greatly to the community. Rojin now works as a Police Liaison Officer bridging the communication and trust gap between the Ezidi community an...

John Randall has lived a big and varied life. Once a jackaroo he now owns a Botanical Design company. In between he’s done many things including working as a development officer in Vanuatu and Western Australia. Lady Flo Bjelke Petersen once mistook John for the entertainer Simon Gallagher and invited him to sit at her table all evening. This and many more engaging stories from John fill up our 50...

Cindy Nicollet is the founder of the Not-for-Profit organisation called Kindher Threads. Kindher Threads uses personal styling to walk alongside women doing it tough—whether they are navigating hardship, rebuilding their lives, or simply in need of a confidence boost. Cindy has a background in psychology and she says her styling sessions are sometimes part therapy and part exploration of fashion....

James O’Shea is a well known local figure. Currently he serves as a Councillor on the Toowoomba Regional Council. Prior to this, he was chief of staff at WIN News. James had the pleasure of working there with his well-known racing identity father, Pat O’Shea. James is the product of Pat and Cecile, a Filipino national. He and his sisters grew up together on Jellicoe Street and he shares with Megan...

Lisa Herbert says you can tell a lot about a town from its cemetery. She should know; she’s become somewhat an expert on death. From conducting tours of the local cemetery, to appearing at a Government inquiry into missing graves, to writing a book to help us navigate our own death and funeral, Lisa is a an aficionado. She’s even organising a death expo to be held in Toowoomba 11 October 2025, Sta...

Marina Elliott is a young female apiarist. Marina says there aren’t many people in the bee industry who look and feel like her - meaning truck-driving, machine-operating, heavy-lifting female beekeepers. It is for this reason, and because she loves it of course, Marina thinks she’ll hang around. Marina’s spare time is taken up running a pop-up Greek Cafe in a community hall in Hume Street. She has...

Dr Mark Copland is first and foremost a humanitarian. His core values revolve around compassion, empathy and solidarity with others. He donates his time to charity, raises awareness about social issues and constantly offers a helping hand to someone in need. No, he’s not Jesus…in fact his friends describe him like this “he’s just good fun, slightly goofy and a bit nerdy and genuinely funny”.

Margaret Turnbull is the President of 'Friends of The Empire Theatre'. She leads a merry band of over 200 volunteers who provide services to keep the Empire Theatre functioning. From ushering to catering to backstage tours, The Friends provide over 8000 volunteer hours per year. More than just a volunteer organisation, The Friends are genuine friends of each other and have a community of likeminde...

Chris Black is only just 40, and yet he has achieved so much in his short life. In 2018 he was announced as one of Australia’s 50 most influential financial planners. He is currently the Chair of a local facility Momentum Mental Health and he is personally invested in its continued success. He has recently returned from a fundraising campaign; Chris lead 19 locals to the Kokoda Trail in PNG. He le...

Nicole Morris is an author and the Director of the Australian Missing Persons Register, which she founded in 2005. Incredibly, over 38,000 people are reported missing in Australia each year. 99% are found within three months. The remainder are championed by Nicole with her advocacy and awareness raising. She is the a voice for the voiceless.

Bridget Chant aka @chantyb97 on TikTok is a remarkable young woman. For want of a better word Bridget is an “influencer”. She makes videos, captioning what her Indian blue ringneck parrot, Hamlet has to say about the ordinary things in their lives. She has over 4 million followers on TikTok but her fame has come at her sideways. Bridget is a thoughtful person, Megan believes she is wise beyond her...

When Megan asked Denny Edwards to describe himself in three words he said “tenacious, optimistic advocate”.Denny seems to have lived his life at breakneck speed; motorbikes, Defence Force postings overseas, scuba diving and veteran’s hockey. Even a recent brain bleed has only slowed him down marginally. Denny tells his story with thoughtful insight. If anything raised in this podcast has raised co...