How Good Are Humans

Tracey Hannah is one of the best downhill mountain bikers of all time. As one of the most extreme sports in the world, downhill MTB is replete with stories of catastrophic injuries. Tracey has suffered more than her fair share. But that did not stop her from becoming an eleven-time national champion as well as a world champion in both the junior and elite categories. She literally won a national t...

Dr Narayan Gopalkrishnan has made an impact on some of the toughest problems challenging some of the most impoverished communities across the world. Now, the James Cook University professor and leader within Far North Queensland's social enterprise sector is putting the case to government to properly address and fix Northern Australia's most intractable social and economic issues while s...

Rob Hodge possibly has the largest heart in Far North Queensland, and he is applying it and his street smarts to keeping troubled kids out of prison and giving them a shot a life, which many of them are born without. As the youngest of 21 children born into poverty in New Zealand, Rob quickly became familiar with the hard life. He was kicked out of every school in the country's North Island....

Barney Swan is an adventurer and entrepreneur who has trekked to the South Pole three times before the age of 30 and is now regenerating a 527-acre patch of the Daintree Rainforest while building a replicable polyculture model that encapsulates and protects the strength of biodiversity, is economically viable and is pliable to cultural needs. The goal of his organisation, Climate Force, is to plan...

Building mountain biking trails can completely transform a city.  In one Tasmanian case, new trails turned a town that history almost forgot into an economic victory and happiness mecca. Glen Jacobs is the brains behind those trails as well as many others in the most picturesque parts of the world. On this episode of the podcast, Glen speaks about how he designs trails, where he’s currently buildi...

What do housing supply, commute times, obesity rates, water shortages, neighbourhood crime, tempers, leisure, culture, thermometer readings, employment opportunities and your nearest ice cream shop all have in common? Answer: they are all affected by how your city or town is designed. If the experts aren't consulted, then your social and economic outcomes are affected, perhaps irreversibly. ...

More than two decades ago a Cairns citizen would have needed to travel hundreds, maybe thousands, of kilometres to receive certain medical treatment residents of other cities could access locally. Much of that reality has now changed thanks in large part to the mammoth efforts of a plucky and enterprising Far North Queensland charity, and its army of donors and volunteers. Over two decades the Far...

Ever thought about running a marathon? What about an ultramarathon (distances often above 300km)? Just running one of those events in a lifetime would be an epic achievement, right? Well, yes, of course.  But what about running six of them inside 12 months, setting a world record in the process? What about hallucinating a bear eating you mid-stride while wheezing through early-stage pneumonia? Wha...

Sarah Grainer and her family have cared for more than one hundred foster children over two decades. Some children have required just one weekend of respite, while others have stayed in the Grainers' home for years. Some children arrived with notice. At other times, Sarah has received a call a midnight from government departments seeking her help to take on a child immediately. She is among sc...

Seventy-five per cent of Australian children in foster care will not finish school. One in three will be homeless in the first year out of care and even more will not find employment. Children enter into care after experiencing neglect, abuse or both. This trauma often causes them to be disengaged from education and makes it difficult for them to build healthy relationships with other adults and c...

I speak with the team from AFL Cape York House for Girls about their mission to connect Far North Queensland's Indigenous teenagers, who unfortunately face socioeconomic disadvantage, with quality education opportunities and solid, healthy pathways beyond school while keeping them connected to their cultures.

Waynead Wolmby is an outstanding young man from Aurukun, Cape York. He has managed to beat the nation's expectations of a young Indigenous male from a remote community and is now inspiring other youth in his orbit to live fulfilling and healthy lives. I speak to Waynead about how unique education opportunities helped him launch a good life and how he's gone from a boy sitting in the red...

Marc Harbrow is a leader in Far North Queensland's social work sector,  and has started several inspiring and wholesome entities and initiatives that focus on youth empowerment, Indigenous empowerment and community wellbeing. As a teenager, Marc was put through perilous adversity, and he shares how he pushed through and what he did with his new lease on life. Marc is the brains behind the suc...

Kim Edwards has truly had a life filled with adventure and benevolent achievement. Her journey has taken her across the world but her story is notably centred on the Middle East.  She has opened schools and training institutions in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan and has co-ordinated war relief efforts in Iraq and Lebanon.  She has also co-ordinated underground endurance events, such as triathlons an...

What kind of thinking goes into cooking the tastiest food, brewing the most satisfying coffees and constructing a distinct hospitality vibe? Olly James, the owner of three establishments in Cairns, joins me on the podcast to answer those questions. Olly owns Caffiend in Cairns City, Guyala in Cairns North and Tattooed Sailor in Bungalow where he also runs the Coffee School. On the podcast we geek...

Episode 32: Exploring the realm of committing oneself to multiple causes, and sustaining oneself throughout the journey. On this episode, Lucy Friend introduces us to her life as someone devoted to several causes, both professional and personal, and explains. how she harmonises this high level of proficient  and benevolent output. Lucy co-ordinates big environmental projects in her job role. She c...

Episode 31: Exploring the Great Barrier Reef with Passions of Paradise. On this episode, Scotty and Russell from Passions of Paradise join me to discuss all things Great Barrier Reef. Passions of Paradise is an eco-tourism business located in Cairns, Far North Queensland that specialises in aquatic tours of the Great Barrier Reef—diving and snorkelling in particular. Beyond this, Passions of Parad...

For the 30th episode of the How Good are Humans podcast, I wanted to review the whole project and reflect on its journey to date. Helping me with this endeavour is my new friend Georgia Krause, who is a wonderful human in her own right.  Georgia, a regular listener of the podcast, has treaded a fascinating path throughout her life and is no stranger to benevolent adventures. She is currently study...

Welcome to the 29th episode of the How Good are Humans podcast. On this episode, we are unveiling two awesome humans whose approach to change agency and service delivery in Indigenous communities is realising some good, refreshing results. Tim and Vera coordinate an employment readiness program in Aurukun, Cape York. They have exceptional cognisance of local context and cultural needs, and their e...

How Good are Humans! is back for 2022!!! We kick off the year by having an awesome chat with Daniel and Stacee from Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good, or DIYDG. DIYDG is a youth-focused organisation that is helping young people in Cairns and Far North Queensland to live their best possible lives. Through a diverse suite of activities and programs, young people receive some healthy guidance, meanin...

In 2016, the number of people in Australia reported to be homeless was 116,000, or 1 in every 200. In fact, given the number of social connections that an average person maintains, it is likely that you know someone experiencing homelessness. You may think, "Surely not, I don't know anyone living on the street". But as this week's podcast guest explains, homelessness comes in a...

This week, on the 26th episode of the How Good are Humans podcast (and the 10th produced in Far North Queensland), we unveil two super fun and adventurous human beings: Lucy Graham and Mathilde Gordon. Lucy and Mathilde have been living plastic-free lives since March 2016. They also completed an impressive 2000km kayaking adventure along the inside passage, located on the western Canadian coastlin...

This week, on the 25th episode of the How Good are Humans podcast, we unveil a courageous and admirable human being: Critty Wallace. Critty works with RespectMe—a violence prevention and respectful relationships education program. Informed by the National Standards for the primary prevention of sexual assault through education, the RespectMe program works with primary and secondary school students...

“If you’re happy and genuine at work, it makes everything better. It makes your staff feel better. It makes your customers feel better. It sounds cliché, but when you’re going to work you can choose happiness, which makes such a difference to the people walking through your doors.” How do you create the perfect vibes for customers? What is it like to rip the guts out of 300 fish in a day? What are...

How young is too young to envision and plan out a professional life full of adventure? Could you do it as a young teenager? Realistically, is that even a worthwhile endeavour? Would you stick to your plans? Would you succumb to life's superficial distractions? Whilst planning an ideal future as an adolescent sounds a tad quixotic, I've interviewed many people who have demonstrated that e...