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Chris Arthur recalls the Franklin River campaign, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of an interview with Chris Arthur, a Tasmanian environmentalist, who describes being arrested and imprisoned in December 1982 after participating in a blockade of a site linked to a proposed project to dam the Franklin River in south-western Tasmania. He also talks about how he has gone ...

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Joan Kirner discusses affirmative action for ALP women, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Victorian premier Joan Kirner (1938-) talking about efforts to ensure the election of a higher proportion of female Labor Party politicians in Australia. Kirner explains how, despite the party's adoption of an affirmative action policy for women, a group of Labor women thought ...

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Kerry Alcock describes his Cyclone Larry experience, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of a Queensland banana grower, Kerry Alcock, describing the devastation wrought by Cyclone Larry on his family business plantation in March 2006. Alcock tells how his crop was totally destroyed and how a new crop had to be planted from scratch using about 65,000 'suckers'. He also points ...

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Judge Kevin Parker discusses grave human rights violations, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Kevin Parker, vice-president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), describing his response to the extent and gravity of war crimes and other human rights violations in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda. Suggesting that such crimes can be committed ...

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Andy Thomas speaks of Australia's space program, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Australian astronaut Andy Thomas, discussing what he regards as a lack of Australian investment in a space program. Thomas outlines why he believes a country such as Australia needs a space program as a part of its 'basic infrastructure'. The recording was made in August 2008.

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Alexandra Shackleton discusses Ernest Shackleton, 2005

This is an edited sound recording of the Hon Alexandra Shackleton, grand-daughter of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. She recounts aspects of his leadership of a 1907-09 expedition to Antarctica, relating how, for the sake of the survival of his team, he abandoned his bid to be the first to reach the geographic ...

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Brian Manning recalls the Wave Hill walk-off, 2007

This is an edited sound recording of Indigenous rights activist Brian Manning talking about the Wave Hill walk-off in the Northern Territory in 1966, when Gurindji workers on the Wave Hill cattle station went on strike. Manning tells how he was involved in organising the walk-off, assuring the Gurindji that, unlike previous ...

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Jim Stewart recalls the Australian Army Training Team in Vietnam, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Jim Stewart, a former commanding officer of the Australian Army Training Team in Vietnam (AATTV), explaining how the AATTV trained units of the South Vietnamese Army (SVA) and militia forces. Stewart describes the duties of AATTV members, recalling the difficulty of the language barrier ...

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Colleen McCullough outlines what makes a good writer, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of the best-selling Australian author Colleen McCullough outlining what she believes makes a good writer. She shares her belief that some children with potential as writers do not have parents or teachers who are supportive, while others with little talent are 'over encouraged'. Stating ...

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Ian Frazer describes medical research work, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Australian medical scientist Ian Frazer outlining some of the joys and frustrations of a career as a medical researcher. One advantage, he says, is that researchers know that many people may benefit from the work they themselves are enjoying, but he warns against a career as a research ...

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Marion Scrymgour discusses representing Indigenous men, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of a Northern Territory politician, Marion Scrymgour, talking in July 2008 about representing the views of Indigenous men after she became the first Indigenous woman to be elected to the NT Legislative Assembly in 2001. Scrymgour says that she seeks to empower Indigenous men to take responsibility ...

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Clare Martin talks about becoming NT opposition leader, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Clare Martin talking about some of the political strategies she adopted after becoming Australian Labor Party (ALP) opposition leader in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) in 1999. Martin says she was very conscious that the NT had an unusually high proportion of male voters, and this ...

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Mark Taylor discusses leadership, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor outlining his views on leadership in general and specifically on leadership in cricket. Taylor indicates the personal value he places on communication in leadership. He states that while he was the Australian national cricket captain, he recognised ...

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Marion Scrymgour talks about her mixed sense of identity, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of a Northern Territory politician, Marion Scrymgour, talking about her Tiwi and central Australian backgrounds. She says that all her life she has considered herself to be a Tiwi Islander, like her mother. However, she has also recently 'come to accept that I've got this other different ...

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May O'Brien reflects on becoming an activist, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of an interview with Western Australian Aboriginal educator and author May O'Brien. She recalls beginning secondary school in Perth in 1949 when she was aged 17, and how she went on to become a teacher. She also relates how she campaigned to improve education for all Indigenous children ...

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John Landy recalls an act of sportsmanship, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of a former champion runner, John Landy, recalling an incident during the Australian mile championship in Melbourne on 11 March 1956. Landy says that the spikes of his shoes tore the arm of another runner, Australian Ron Clarke, who fell in front of him. He describes stopping to help Clarke, ...

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Forbes Carlile talks about sports science as a career, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of the Australian sports scientist and swimming coach Forbes Carlile (1921-), speaking about sports science as a career. Carlile states that being competent at sport is useful, but not absolutely essential, for someone to be a good sports scientist. He says all scientific discoveries lend ...

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Ron Merkel explains trials before a judge in Australia, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Federal Court of Australia judge Ron Merkel outlining the general procedure for a trial before a judge in Australia. Merkel explains the elements of pleadings, cross-examination of witnesses and final submissions to the judge. He also outlines the way in which a judge prepares ...

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May O'Brien recalls school at the Mount Margaret Mission, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of an interview with Western Australian Aboriginal educator and author May O'Brien. She gives an account of the police practice of removing Aboriginal children from their families in line with government policies of the time. She recalls being fearful as a child of being removed and taken ...

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John Landy talks about becoming a world record runner, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former champion runner John Landy recalling how he became a world record holder. He says that in the early 1950s, the possibility of running 1 mile (1.6 km) in under 1 minute was 'a great talking point'. He says Roger Bannister became the first to achieve the goal in May 1954. Landy ...