VAN Talks Podcast

Send us Fan Mail All Australia bore witness to the obscene tagline of “If you don’t know, vote NO” that was used by anti-Voice campaigners in 2023. Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder and lore man Uncle Bill Nicholson is a committed educator, and speaks on VAN Talks about the need to improve the education system for the benefit of ALL.

Send us Fan Mail If you listen to just one of our podcast episodes this year...this is the one. CEO of the Aborigines' Advancement League, member of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, academic and activist Aunty Esme Bamblett talks bluntly about EVERY Australian's role in achieving reconciliation in this country. 

Send us Fan Mail VAN host Charles Pakana catches up with singer/songwriter Pirritu, also known as Brett Lee, to discuss the musician’s background story and the role he plays in bringing about social change.

Send us Fan Mail On the 30th of June 2024, Anglican priest Uncle Glenn Loughrey, a Wiradjuri man who campaigned strongly for the Voice to Parliament, was collated at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne as Provincial Archdeacon for Reconciliation, First Peoples Recognition and Treaty. We caught up with him just a few days after his collation to discuss his plans moving forward.

Send us Fan Mail In a highly thought-provoking interview, we speak with founder and creative director of Torch program, Uncle Kent Morris, and Stacey Edwards, an inspirational  woman who, with dedication and commitment, clearly demonstrates how Aboriginal-designed solutions deliver positive results.

Send us Fan Mail Uncle Andrew Jackomos and Thelma Austin from the Treaty Authority speak about the importance of ensuring treaty negotiations are impartial and of benefit to all

Send us Fan Mail While Fire Rescue Victoria embarks upon a recruiting campaign with an eye towards bringing in more First Nations recruit firefighters, we speak with Uncle Owen Butler, a Wiradjuri man with 44 years experience in the service. 

Send us Fan Mail Charles speaks with the CEO of the Taungurung Land and Waters Council, Matthew Burns, about the recent ruling from VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal), which overturned a works licence issued by Goulburn Murray Water that would see a 600 metre diversion of the Rubicon River.

Send us Fan Mail For this episode, Charles travels to Bendigo and meets up with Nicola Perry, Chair of the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Corporation (BDAC), and BDAC CEO, Dallas Widdocombe.

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Charles speaks with the lead researcher and managing director of the First 1,000 Days Australia Project, Kerry Arabena. Together, they discuss the evidence-based model that is helping First Nations families move from planning through to parenthood.

Send us Fan Mail We caught up with Uncle Richard Bell just before his June presentation at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Melbourne. Over the course of the interview we spoke about art as a form of activism, his youth and journey towards activism and artist.

Send us Fan Mail There’s a hell of a lot more to the Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) than typically meets the eye. We sit down and discuss the inner workings of this important organisation with its Chief Executive Officer, Tom Mosby.

Send us Fan Mail In this exclusive interview with Djaara CEO Uncle Rodney Carter, we explore a first-of-its-kind (for Victoria) agreement between a Traditional Owner group and a gold mining operation.

Send us Fan Mail We speak with Gunditjmara academic and education advocate Professor Mark Rose about bringing Aboriginal content and relevancy into the education system at all levels.

Send us Fan Mail In this interview, VAN’s Charles Pakana catches up with Gurrin Gurrin artist Phillip Howe, to discuss the challenges and obligations facing Aboriginal artists practising on Country that is not theirs.

Send us Fan Mail As we commence our series of interviews with Victorian Traditional owners about what true reconciliation means to them, we sit down with Wotjobaluk woman, Aunty Janine Coombs.

Send us Fan Mail Gunditjmara man and co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Rueben Berg, returns to the VAN Talks podcast, discussing one of the key aspirations of a statewide treaty in Victoria - the sharing of political decision making with Traditional Owners and Victorian Aboriginal community.

Send us Fan Mail From his office deep within the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Michael Bell devotes his life to identifying and gaining recognition for all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have donned an Australian military uniform or, on the home front, have given of themselves to support those on active service. We speak with Michael about his work and aspirations.

Send us Fan Mail For nearly 20 years an Egyptian born retired Royal Australian Air Force Flight Sergeant has fought for greater recognition of the service and sacrifice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service personnel. In this episode we catch up with Sam Halim, the man at the forefront of the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Committee.

Send us Fan Mail For several decades there has been a story that has gained popularity, about the Australian Military Forces leaving behind in South Africa 50 Aboriginal Trackers. In this interview we speak with noted military historian - focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander military service - Peter Bakker. Can the story stand up to scrutiny?

Send us Fan Mail We continue our truth-telling podcast with Wurundjeri woi-wurrung Elder Uncle Dave Wandin about the true history of the Coranderrk mission, taking it up to current times.

Send us Fan Mail In this extended episode of VAN Talks, Charles speaks with Wurundjeri woi-wurrung Elder Uncle Dave Wandin about the true history of the Coranderrk mission.

Send us Fan Mail In this far-reaching interview, VAN’s Charles Pakana speaks with Dr Michelle Evans, the Director of the Dilin Duwa Center for Indigenous Business Leadersip at the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Business School.  Michelle is a recognised authority in the areas of indigenous leadership and entrepreneurship, and is also co-founder and program director of the award winning MURR...

Send us Fan Mail VAN’s Charles Pakana catches up with Thomas Mayo nearly four months after the referendum. They discuss a wide range of topics, from “where to from here?” to two new books coming out soon from Thomas, and why it’s important to stay calm as a campaigner.

Send us Fan Mail After delivering a speech on 26 Jan this year, Victorian Aboriginal News founder and editor Charles Pakana was approach by Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder Aunty Diane Kerr. She mentioned to him that she had been recently the subject of an Andrew Bolt commentary on Sky News. Obviously, Charles had to find that commentary and do some fact-checking. The result? Well, check out this epis...