Radical Australia

Early busker, wannabe photographer, musician and faithful Melbournite - what doesn't this week's guest, Dean Lombard, not do? Born into a family of Queensland Italian cane cutters, Dean was a sensitive young person who liked writing and became a busker in 1980s Melbourne, entertaining the punters after hours. Learning a lot about people and the world during this time lead Dean to eventually get so...

What an amazing gal our guest this week, Fiona McWhirter, is. Fiona was diagnosed with a rare blood disease last year and is extraordinarily busy living her life to the full for herself, her family and community up in Rocky. What doesn't she do?!  An activist in the political, health and environmental spheres, Fiona is a champion person and was recently awarded the Courage Award from the MDS Found...

On this week's show we were treated to a few poems from poet and writer, Rob Wallis, a lifelong teacher who grew up in 50s Australia, a time when being queer was taboo and hardly any positive representations abounded. Rob was a bonded teacher before breaking out into adult teaching for many years, teaching many different subjects to all kinds of people. He is a bona fide teacher's teacher. These d...

This week's guest, Clovis Mwamba, was a human rights activist kidnapped and tortured under the dictatorship of Mobutu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after it gained freedom from Belgian colonisation in 1960. Clovis grew up in what he describes as an apartheid system in the mineral-rich, eastern Katanga province in a free-thinking household from where he went on to study psychology and oth...

On this week's show we were thoroughly entertained by the co-producer of 3CRs slick current affairs program Uprise Radio, Jackson McInerney. Jackson was born in the old Jessie McPherson hospital where the skate park used to be in the city. Then the family moved to Yuendumu before returning to Melbourne. Jackson has been telling porkies from an early age and has loved the arts for about as long. Th...

On this week's show we revisit a conversation from late in 2019 with legendary Australian filmmaker, David Bradbury. David is a self-taught documentary filmmaker with a swag of films and awards under his belt in a career spanning 40+ years. Check out David's film archive at frontlinefilms.com.au We are certain Radical Australia and 3CR listeners alike will find something they like. On this week's...

On this week's Radical Australia we spoke with Ajan, a 3CR brekkie stalwart, trainer and producer of Diaspora Blues, a 2020 show that focuses on black and CALD people and stories. Ayan understands a thing or two about borders and boundaries and knows what it's like to feel alone, having grown up as an African Muslim in Australia. She speaks eloquently about trying to find her place in the world an...

This week's guest is Dr. Greg Poulgrain, a well-known lecturer on Southeast Asian history and friend to the West Papua Office in Docklands, Melbourne. On this show we find Greg in conversation about his new book, 'JFK vs Allen Dulles: Battleground Indonesia'. Thank you for joining us, Greg.

We are delighted to welcome 4ZZZ community radio stalwart Blair Martin onto the show this week. Blair is a Shakespearean thespian from Rockhampton who has loved the theatre since he was a teenager and he has a beautiful voice. Blair wears many hats at 4ZZZ from coordinator of its niche digital program grid to trainer and producer/host of 'Queer Radio', the world's longest running radio program of...

Calling in from the dead centre of Melbourne, on this week's show we welcome the intriguing and disarming Barbara Hall. Barb is a member of the West Papuan Rent Collective in Melbourne and grew up roaming the streets and waterways of Williamstown. In this conversation, Barbara muses on her early life with her parents as well as her time as a teacher. She extends a warm welcome to one and all to th...

This week we're delighted to welcome Brian Laver onto the show. Brian is a long-standing anti-war activist and anarchist from 1960s UQ. He is the Director of the Institute for Social Ecology and has been a part of the fabric of Brissie's radical community for a very long time. In this conversation we find Brian reflecting on his time in Prague '68 and as an international tennis coach, just down th...

On this week's show we are delighted to have Sally join us from the bush. Growing up in a politicised family, Sally was an early debater and once stopped Pauline Hanson's election bus at the school gates. That was her first taste of the rush of direct action. Sally is a trained educator and has taught both in Australia and in Europe. She knows the value of care for self and others in the struggles...

Compulsive artist, musician, storyteller, raconteur, poet: welcome to this week's episode of Radical Australia featuring second-time guest, Mr. Tony Millman. A honey-voiced wordsmith, on this week's show you'll find Tony and Joe engaged in a free-wheeling conversation about everything from art, modern society to living free. Tony also brought in his guitar and treated us to two live numbers: an or...

What can we say about this week's guest, Eirene Tsolidis Noyce? A force to be reckoned with, that's for sure. Eirene is the inaugural secretaty of the Renters and Housing Union (RAHU), Melbourne's new union born in the fire of the 2020 Rent Strike at the beginning of COVID-19. Hailing originally from Moonee Ponds, Eirene played piano from a young age and eventually discovered blues, playing in a r...

A lifelong 'fish out of water'. That's how this week's guest, Chris Lynch, desribes himself and when you hear him talk about his journey on planet Earth thus far it's not hard to understand why. Chris spent his formative years growing up in Papua New Guinea and had, by all accounts, an idyllic childhood, engrossing himself in the world of books and faraway places. He has travelled a bit, once walk...

This week's guest is Dean Lim, 3CR broadcaster on 'Behind Closed Doors', a peer sex worker show kicking goals since its inception just 2 years ago. Dean has many years experience as a male-to-male sex worker and is a sex positive individual who has lived a thoughtful life learning about himself and others. A great peer educator and broadcaster, no doubt! Dean currently supports other male-to-male...

This week's guest, Matt Costigan, is a firebrand. He stands up to those who would try to exploit and those who try to lord it over. A golf enthusiast since childhood, Matt has had some success as a competition golfer in Victoria and knows the difference between private and public golf clubs! A self-educated person who has been inspired by the works of Chomsky and Pilger, Matt has striven to be fre...

This week's conversation with Charandev SIngh was raw, beautiful and powerful. It had a profound effect on us. We were deeply honoured to hear Charandev share some stories about his life, from Malaysia to Melbourne and beyond. A street-trained paralegal, Charandev has used his own difficult experiences as a child to care for others for the last 30 years. As he tells it, he has been 'walking with m...

It's always an honour to have an elder on the show and this week is no exception. Max Ogden, born in 1938, was a youngster during WWII and remembers camping and hunting rabbits with his father in Epping. An apprentice fitter and turner in the good old days, Max played for Preston in the VFA and has been a lifelong trade unionist. A long-time member of the Communist Party, these days Max is a short...

On this week's show we welcome the thorougly nice and thoughtful person, along with exciting political artist, Van T Rudd. Hailing originally from Nambour, Queensland, Van grew up doodling in his school books, surfing and playing 'the world game'. Moving on to study humanities and partying at university, Van had quite a long sting playing in bands in both Queensland and Melbourne. These days, Van...

This week we invite you to be our guest on the show by looking back through the Radical Australia archives and talking about just what the show is all about. We look forward to you joining us.

What a delight to have Mini Miller, aka Racerage, as our guest this week. A childhood spent moving around quite a bit, Mini ended up at the end of her teens as dux of her high school. Impressive! Graduating with an ENTER score of 99.1%, Mini went on to study communications and eventually social work. For the last few years Mini has been the rap queen of Collingwood, finding home and communiity the...

It was fantastic to welcome Ric, aka Pope Fred, onto the program this week. A great guest. What can we say about Ric? He's a spoken word poet, insurrection anarchist, human biology graduate and a Discordia enthusiast, amongst other things. A very interesting person, making for an entertaining conversation. We thank Ric for being our guest this week.plastique-poetry.blogspot.comirlinfoshop.org / @i...