The ConFab with Michael G

Send us Fan Mail When NASA classified Karl as non-astronaut material in 1981 he walked straight into ABC Radio station Double J and offered to talk about the Space shuttle launch. They said ‘Okay’ and his radio career took off from there. ‘Great Moments In Science’ ran on Double J while Karl moonlighted as a medical student. Karl has degrees in Physics and Maths, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine a...

Send us Fan Mail Grand Hatters is a unique boutique store that showcases some of the finest men's and ladies headwear from around the world.   With over six decades of high end men's fashion experience, Craig has teamed up with a fellow colleague to create a iconic establishment where personalised service has made it a must go shopping experience in Melbourne. Join me on the Confab with...

Send us Fan Mail Rev Tim Costello is one of Australia’s most respected community leaders and a sought after voice on social justice issues, leadership and ethics.   For 13 years until October 2016, Tim was Chief Executive of World Vision Australia. Tim is a spokesperson for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, which campaigns for law reform to prevent harm from poker machine gambling. In earlier role...

Send us Fan Mail Lisa Millar is an Australian television news presenter and journalist.  Lisa is currently co-host of the ABC's breakfast program News Breakfast alongside Michael Rowland. Lisa has previously been a foreign correspondent for ABC News based in London and Washington DC.  In December 2018, Lisa joined News Breakfast as co-host  In the following year Lisa  Join me on the Confab to...

Send us Fan Mail Tommy is a rapidly rising multi-disciplinary artist from Canberra, Australia.  His work is represented and collected both nationally and internationally.  He fuses organic abstract painting and light to create a new beast in his futuristic and emotive light reactive artworks.   His work has been described as ‘transformative' and takes fluid art to places not seen before.  He...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Andrew a key member of the Cannoli Brothers. The company has been in business since 2016 serving their range of cannoli across the Capital Region at producer’s markets and events. The company setup their manufacturing operation in the industrial hub in Fyshwick. Andrew has been involved in a number of business ventures in Canberra and we gain an understanding of these busines...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Sam a Gold Logie-winning actor and Victorian Australian of the Year 2018, he is also the cofounder of Love Your Sister which is a million-strong village of everyday Aussies committed to vanquishing cancer with hard science and the best new technologies.  Love Your Sister supports precision treatment for ALL cancer patients, whatever the cancer, regardless of location, income,...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Andrew who is the ACT Chief Minister who is passionate about supporting Canberra’s diverse community.  Through a range of innovative policies, he has helped shape Canberra to become Australia’s most inclusive city and the most LGBTIQ-friendly city in the country.  Andrew has lived in Canberra for more than 40 years and attended Holt Preschool, Turner Primary, Lyneham High and...

Send us Fan Mail I first me Cindy at the local farmers markets (Epic markets) one Saturday morning.  Cindy is one of many artisans who are provide a ranger of culinary delights to visitors to the markets.  Cindy has established a loyal following and has branched out on the range of breakfast options.   Cindy (a small business owner) initially established the Hot Skillet before branching out to est...

Send us Fan Mail Meet SJ who with her team are producing fine artisan cheese from the heart of the Orange NSW Australian wine region  SJ started to be interested in making cheese 8 years ago after a course at the TAFE in Adelaide.  Her your favourite part about being a cheese making is collecting the milk from a farm - it means connecting to the animals and people involved in making the raw produc...

Send us Fan Mail Raymond is a medical Doctor and an Associate Professor of Finance.  Raymond’s research interests are diverse: as a financial economist, he studies market microstructure, asset pricing, political economy and classical economics; while, as a medical researcher, he has also explored issues relating to end-of-life care.  He was the lead author Dr Wai-Man (Raymond) Liu said the study f...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Tim  the head gardener of Floriade who with a dedicated team have  created a visual experience post lock down that has  translate into this year’s extensive and inspirational flower display for visitors to the 2022 Floriade Tim has over 10 years of horticultural experience and is passionate about nature and the enjoyment it can bring to the community.  We talk about his child...

Send us Fan Mail If you love doughnuts this story may be of interest.  Krofne is a Canberra-based bakery and social enterprise.  They make delicious baked goods, handcrafted doughnuts. Krofne is not your typical business, as a social enterprise, they aim to create employment opportunities for teens and adults with special needs.  Danijela and John Vrkic started the business with the vision that th...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Chris & Jen, during 2015 they came up with the catchy brand-name of 'The Fruity Farmer' for their range of homemade seasonal Fruit Gins & Liqueurs alongside their pick-your-own Christmas tree business Stoke Goldington Christmas Trees ,  Every Autumn they launch a new fruit infused liqueur to add to their range, which now totals 14 different drinks.   They se...

Send us Fan Mail If you have ever been to the Old Bus Depo Markets in Canberra you may have seen a stall featuring Australian black tea blends such as our spicy and delicious Australian Chai, and organic herbal blends which combine therapeutic benefits in a tasty, refreshing infusion.  In fact David stocks around 80 teas Australian and imported black teas, green teas, white tea, herbal infusions a...

Send us Fan Mail Ralph is an award winning Australian fine art photographer who has exhibited in Berlin, Dubai, Palm Beach, Latvia, Portugal and Australia.  His art represent how the power of physical movement in kayaking and the movements on the surface of the water can synthesize to act as creative inspiration freeing the mind of mental darkness to heal, recharge and inspire the inner self. Befo...

Send us Fan Mail The Xyrakis’s started their family business in Ainslie a historic suburb in Canberra in 1963.  The family doubled the size of the store in 1973, making it the largest independent supermarket in Canberra. In november 1975, it became one of the foundation stores of the Shop-Rite group of supermarkets in the ACT.  When Manuel’s father died in July 1986 and the business was continued...

Send us Fan Mail Con is a Cornea transplant and Refractive surgeon and a consultant at the Sydney Eye Hospital and Bowral District Hospital. He is Associate Director of the NSW Tissue Bank and Senior Lecturer for the Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology University of Sydney. Upon finishing his ophthalmology training through the Sydney Eye Hospital he completed a fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospit...

Send us Fan Mail Barry heads up the Barry Tomes Media Group which includes Record Companies, conducts PR seminars, provides advice classes, artist management and DJ promotion.  His experience stretches back 40 years and in that 40 years, media really has exploded.   With now hundreds of Television stations in every country, thousands of radio stations, accessibility of media coverage plus of cours...

Send us Fan Mail Andrew  is a Green Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, he was  elected in 2020. Andrew is motivated by the need for urgent action on climate change to secure a safe future for his children and future generations. He is proud of the steps Canberra has taken to secure 100% renewable electricity, but understands that there is much more to do.  We talk about her childhood, his pas...

Send us Fan Mail Johnathan is a Green member of ACT Legislative Assembly and was elected in 2020. Johnathan is committed to progressive social reform, economic justice that tackles wealth and income inequality and strong environmental action to fight the climate crisis. As a crossbench member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, Johnathan seeks to hold the major parties to account and introduce new id...

Send us Fan Mail Most people dream of a short commute to work, but Lawson man Sovithyea ‘SV’ Sar has the shortest commute of all – from his house to the café he runs from his front yard. SV started his eponymous business, SV Coffee & Bakery, last year during the height of COVID-19 restrictions, originally from inside his house.   He’s since seen a groundswell of support for the venture, which...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Tina from Denmark who has settled in the Southern Highlands, from the Nordic region to the artist center of the southern highlands.  Tina has established a company that taps into our artistic endeavours. We talk about her childhood, her artistic passion.  Join me  on the Confab with Michael G to gain an insight to Tina and her journey.

Send us Fan Mail Chris chose to be a flower and apple man because it brings his two loves together, the land and people. His journey as a flower man began by selling flowers from the back of a truck on the side of the road. With time I was then able to establish my presence in key farmers markets around Sydney. Several years ago he started his own flower farm and apple orchard in Freemans Reach in...

Send us Fan Mail The REACH for Nepal foundation was established to help people make a real difference in the lives of those less fortunate in Nepal. The Canberra based foundation was established after the 2015 earthquakes with the objectives of the foundation being defined in its acronym Rebuild, Educate, Assist, Children/Communities (providing) Hope for Nepal. Initially established to focus on pr...