Boomerangs, boards, inclusion, volunteering and massage

00:07 Aaron

Hi, I'm Aaron McCarthy, aiming for the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Cortina. You're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco on the Vision Australia radio network.

00:40 Peter

It's just gone 5:00 as we slide or dare I say, landslide into Leisure Link here on Vision Australia Radio - 1197 AM in Adelaide... online at varadio.com through the Reading Radio Network... also through your favourite podcast or streaming service via Radio Digital in Adelaide and Darwin... our friends listening through 103.9, Hope FM in Esperance in Western Australia... and also our other friends, Disability Media Australia, wonderful to have their support... and as we learned last week, also in Tasmania. Peter Greco saying wonderful to be here - thank you so much for your company. This program coming to you from Kaurna Land. By the way, you can find out more about Disability Media Australia by going to their website. 

Coming up on the program today, we'll catch up with Aaron McCarthy. We'll preview the Winter Paralympic Games in Cortina next year. May be on the plane? We hope so. We'll catch up and hear about his story. Zac Georg-Dent will join us, as will Daniel Fabian about the various games coming up. The Boomerangs are getting ready for the World Basketball Championships. We'll catch up with those two fine gentlemen. Chelsea Marchetti, our resident physiotherapist, will join us. Chelsea's topic is the massage - can it be good for you? We'll find out from Chelsea. 

We'll also be joined by Minister Nat Cook - a chance for you to have your say regarding the state's disability policy. We'll find out more from that. We'll also catch up with Stacey Thompson from Resthaven, celebrating and recognising volunteers. Their 90th year - very special occasion coming up. We'll also be joined by Marcus Marchant from Vistaprint - we'll find out what mothers think of their gifts, and maybe a gift idea a little bit different. 

The Winter Paralympics are on next year. Big day for our respective Winter Paralympians last week. Let's chat about it with Aaron McCarthy who's there. And great to meet you for the first time. Thank you for speaking to us.

02:52 Aaron

Yeah. No worries. Thanks for having me on now.

02:54 Peter

I think there's something like 1400 Australians have represented the country at Paralympic Games, so 27 million of us haven't. What goes on at a team processing day like last week?

03:05 Aaron

Mm, yeah. So last week we attended... the team processing for all the people that are on the long list for the the games. Yeah. We just went through, like, some communication stuff. Some, like media training and then... went through like a whole heap of processing, like trying on all the uniforms, like getting all their sizes for everything. And... yeah, a few bits and pieces for me, interviews and things like that.

03:30 Peter

What was that like - the whole thing, I mean?

03:33 Aaron

Yeah, it was it was pretty good. Like, I'm obviously never been to one. There's a few guys there that have been to the games before. So yeah, it was pretty interesting. It was a busy little room, that's for sure.

03:44 Peter

I guess maybe a little bit different in a sense, because the the winter team isn't quite as large as the summer team. So maybe kind of a bit better in terms of getting to know each other a bit easier. Like not such a sort of big face in the crowd, as it were.

03:57 Aaron

Yeah, yeah, it's, uh, it's a pretty small group. You know, there's, um, we've got a few cross-country and biathlon guys on the list now, and there's only, you know, three or four snowboarders and the same skiers. So, yeah, it's a pretty small group. So, yeah, tight knit community.

04:13 Peter

And I guess I know that, obviously to get to this point, you've obviously had to put in a... fair amount of time and training, etc.. A lot of it tends to not be in Australia, particularly when when you get to compete, there's a lot of... overseas competition because we don't have much snow in Australia.

04:29 Aaron

Yeah. That's right, yeah. We've only got a short season here, you know, three, three to four months depending on... how long it goes for. And then yeah, we head overseas and... spend, you know, a good four months overseas.

04:42 Peter

Their first film was only happy to share... a little bit about your story - I believe you had a family accident.

04:47 Aaron

Yeah. So in December of 2021, I got stuck in a piece of machinery and and lost my left leg, above the knee... so yeah, after after that, like I had a short stay in hospital. I had a really good surgical team, I had... I was pretty fortunate in having a fast recovery, and I got, yeah, got straight into wheelchair sports after my accident. And then, I then somehow managed to find snowboarding and yeah, I just got hooked on that.

05:15 Peter

So, so the... accident and kind of the recovery before that, were you much into sport generally - and did you know much about sport for people with disability?

05:25 Aaron

I didn't really have much of an idea about sports for people with disability. I just played, you know, junior footy growing up and then just played tennis socially for, you know, a number of years before my accident. Yeah.

05:38 Peter

Because I've heard often people, particularly when they have a life-changing experience and kind of have to not have to but to choose to do Paralympic stuff, it kind of scratches the... competitive itch that they might have. Were you a competitive sort of person before the accident?

05:53 Aaron

Yeah, I would... say I was a bit competitive. Yeah. I guess, you know, having... the accident and lying in hospital. I just thought, you know, like, this is a pretty good opportunity to... go and do something extraordinary. So, yeah.

06:05 Peter

What about what about in terms of helping you through? Because I'm sure there would have been some dark times, and I guess some times come to terms with what had happened, and Why me? I guess the sort of things, if you like, a kind of - quote unquote - normal for... people to react that way. How did you go with that, and who kind of helped you through?

06:23 Aaron

Yeah. Like sport played a massive factor in in my recovery - you know, early on, like being stuck at home and not walking or not being able to walk and being in a wheelchair and stuff early on. Yeah. Getting out and being able to get involved in a community and... being able to...play sport was massive for... my mental health and recovery.

06:44 Peter

What sort of sports in particular appealed to you?

06:46 Aaron

So I got started like straight away in wheelchair tennis. So I played that competitively for a little bit, and then I managed to play a fair bit of wheelchair basketball locally. And then, I got the opportunity to represent New South Wales in the Wheelchair AFL National championships.

07:06 Peter

Okay. Yeah. Are you an AFL fan, Aaron?

07:08 Aaron

Yeah, yes I am. Yeah.

07:10 Peter

Which team?

07:11 Aaron

Oh, I follow the Cats.

07:12 Peter

Okay. Well, yeah. You picked a good team to follow in terms of success over the last few years.

07:17 Aaron

Yeah, yeah, they have been pretty good for a while now. Yeah.

07:20 Peter

Yeah. So then, as you said, you're on the short list or the long list? I think you said at the beginning of the interview for snowboarding. How did that come about?

07:31 Aaron

Yeah. So I'm on the the long list for the games. So, in 2022, we managed to get on a mobility clinic on the snow. So also put on... a weekend at Thredbo for amputees or users of their products. So that's when I initially got on the snow after my accident and then, you know, now 2023... I tried to get into as many development camps as I could and then yeah, last year we, me and the family, made the move over to Jindabyne for the season so I could... get stuck into some training, which led to me having the opportunity to go overseas and compete. 

Yes, I went overseas like our summer just gone and competed in para snowboarding... the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Austria. I had a few good results there, and I won the European Cup for my classification and qualified for, yeah, qualified for World Championships in Canada. So I was over there in March.

08:32 Peter

So were you good at it? And that's why you loved it - or did you love it and that's why you're good at it?

08:37 Aaron

Mm, I don't know. I guess like it was just a different sense of freedom after losing my legs, I guess. Yeah, it's... I guess that feeling that I had on the snow, like being able to slide down and, you know, almost feel like I didn't have a disability. Yeah, sort of, yeah, just got that... bug.

08:58 Peter

That's an enormously powerful message, isn't it? I've spoken to people that go sailing, and it's a similar sort of thing. You know, when they're out in the water, they kind of... you know, have that freedom which... you know, as I say, it's such a powerful message.

09:11 Aaron

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Like, it's... it is... a huge sense of freedom. And you feel more equal again, I guess.

09:19 Peter

And your success, I guess that kind of feeds into your passion for wanting to train more and get even better if you feel like you're doing well. That's kind of easy to get motivated in the morning and, you know, get up and about.

09:31 Aaron

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, I, I struggled early on, uh, you know, with mental health and everything. And once I found snowboarding and, you know, I've got that itch to be competitive like that definitely helps me get out of bed every day. Um, yeah. That's been a driving factor in my recovery for for this year.

09:48 Peter

Listening to [Leisure] Link here on Vision Australia Radio 1197 AM in Adelaide and across the Western Australia and Reading Radio Network. And we're speaking to Aaron McCarthy, who's a Winter Paralympic hopeful. I think we can put it like that before putting too much pressure on. And you talk about moving with your family. Tell us a bit about that. I mean, that's a that's a huge commitment to the sport and I guess to your cause and a huge commitment from your family - because without being too personal, I don't imagine there's going to be a lot of money in representing Australia at Paralympic Games.

10:18 Aaron

No, there's like there's not a lot of money in our sport, and it is very expensive. You know, like international flights alone, you know, you're looking at $3-4000 each, each set of return flights. So you know, we can do, you know, potentially, you know, four sets of return flights internationally on the season. And then, you know, we're not... working when we're training. So there's a, you know, a fair bit of lost income there too.

10:42 Peter

What about as far as your family goes - that as I say, it's a big commitment from them as well, to kind of move with you?

10:47 Aaron

Yeah. So yeah, last year, like when we moved over to Jindabyne... you know, I was training, you know, five, six days a week on snow. So, yeah, I didn't work for for four months. Family moved over there. We managed to get some daycare in Jindabyne for the little one. And yeah, my wife... still managed to work from home over there, and then she'd come back to work in the clinic. You know, it was a four hour drive for her every couple of weeks to come back and work for a week. So, yeah, it was it was a massive few months for us.

11:15 Peter

Was the farm yours? Yeah, was it your own farm or your family farm?

11:19 Aaron

Yeah. Yeah, it was my farm. Yeah.

11:20 Peter

And what's the situation with the farm now?

11:22 Aaron

Well, I guess we've changed our modelling a little bit. I'll have a mate come and help me do the cropping, and then I'll still run the livestock side of things.

11:32 Peter

And how are things going? I know some of or some of Australia, particularly in South Australia, have had a pretty prolonged drought... as droughts go, particularly this year, hardly any rain at all. What about in your area? Whereabouts are you, by the way?

11:45 Aaron

I'm at the Rock in southern New South Wales, so [?about a half hour] to warm up. Yeah, it's pretty dry here too - like we're, you know, everyone around the area is sort of flat out feeding sheep and stock and... yeah, just waiting for the rain to get some crops in the ground.

12:00 Peter

Is the sort of thing where... you grew up on a farm and, you know, you've had the accident, but you kind of don't want to move - it's sort of too much in your blood to move.

12:07 Aaron

Yeah. Pretty. Well, yeah. I grew up in town, but always had friends on farms and spent a lot of time on farms growing up. And then. Yeah, with my wife and I had the opportunity to buy the farm. And, you know, since the accident, you know, we tossed up whether, you know, we sell it and whatnot, and but... yeah, I don't know that I could leave here. Yeah, it's too good.

12:27 Peter

Now, as I said, you're on the long list. Short list? Call it what you like. You're on the list for... Cortina next year. It's obviously very, very exciting. So here we are in May... the games are a little way away. What's ahead of you? What do you kind of have to do to to to get selected?

12:43 Aaron

Yeah. So from now we've got our domestic training season coming up. You know, until then, when we're not on snow, it's, you know, in the gym 4 or 5 times a week... just building that strength and conditioning. And then, yeah, we have our domestic season here, so, you know, a few months of training and then... we'll probably head overseas at some stage for a training camp, and then, yeah... head back over for the... start of the international season again.

13:09 Peter

You talked about your form last year. That obviously must give you a lot of confidence as well as, you know, that drive, that motivation you talked about as well, but must give you a lot of confidence that you're kind of right up there as far as... you know, being able to compete very well.

13:22 Aaron

Yeah, yeah. So... yeah, I won the European Cup last year. It was my first season competing internationally. So, you know, I was pretty stoked with the results I got. So yeah, like, I'm... knocking on the door of the... guys at the top in the World Cup level. Yeah. So I've got, you know, in terms of qualifying for the games, you know, I've got points there to qualify for one event. I need to get enough points this coming international season to qualify for the second event that para snowboard compete in. Yeah, so it's just a matter of getting the points and then hoping that, you know, Australia gets given the quota spot for me to go over.

14:00 Peter

And you talked about the freedom. What about the adrenaline rush - I mean I guess the faster you go the the bigger the rush.

14:06 Aaron

Yeah. Yeah absolutely. The faster you go, the bigger the jumps, the the bigger the stacks - yep. Yes. Heaps of fun.

14:12 Peter

What did your wife think of it all?

14:15 Aaron

Yeah. Like, she's pretty stoked that I'm getting out there and competing. You know, she often, often complains that I can snowboard better than her with... one leg than she can with two.

14:25 Peter

So I was thinking more of the safety angle. What... does your wife think of the safety angle?

14:30 Aaron

Yeah, like she's not too concerned. Like we've spent a fair bit of time up on the snow together last season. So, yeah, she knows how I... ride. And she's watched a few of the races, like, you know, replays of the games and stuff. So yeah, she knows what it's like. She's not too concerned yet.

14:45 Peter

Well, tonight we'd better give her a cheerio. We've spoken about her enough. The interview is about you.

14:48 Aaron

Oh, yeah. Toni.... yeah. Tony, she's... yeah. She's been... amazing and, you know, extremely supportive throughout the whole journey.

14:56 Peter

And you got a child as well?

14:57 Aaron

Yeah. Yep. So, yeah, we've got George who's four, and then I've got an older boy who's... nearly 12 and he, yeah. They both love the snow, too.

15:06 Peter

Terrific. Well, let's hope that... there's a few... good... more moments or maybe more than the moments, maybe years coming up for you as far as the Australian representation goes at Paralympic Games. It's been really great to talk to you. I really appreciate you speaking so openly and... sharing some of your story. It's been fantastic. We wish you well. Thanks for giving us a bit of an insight into... team processing, and also the journey ahead of you. We'll be following your progress very, very closely.

15:32 Aaron

Yeah. No worries. Thank you very much for having me on, I appreciate it.

15:35 Peter

That's Aaron McCarthy there, at team processing last week for the Australian team as they prepare for Cortina for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. 

What fabulous news for our Aussie basketballers - with the Boomerangs team being named for a trip to Kazakhstan, and coming up very soon. Let's speak to one of the athletes going, Zac Georg-Dent. Zach, good to catch up again. It's been a little while.

16:02 Zac

Yeah. Peter, how are you going? Yeah, it's been a while, but... always good to have a chat with you, mate.

16:06 Peter

Terrific. And this must be nice, to be selected to play for Australia.

16:09 Zac

Oh, it's an absolute honour, mate. Not every day you get to represent your country. So... yeah, very... yeah. Very humble and very... yeah, fortunate, I guess, as well.

16:18 Peter

That's a very good point you make about... not very often you get selected. You've been playing for a long time, and you're one of the stars of the Oliver Burke championships. How many games have you played for Australia? How many times have you played for Australia?

16:30 Zac

Oh, I've represented this country.... I think this would be my sixth time. Maybe sixth or seventh. Maybe. Yeah, it's been a bit... a few, been a handful. So yeah, every... time it's been very enjoyable. So yeah, looking forward to it.

16:41 Peter

I'm just thinking in terms of maybe the wheelchair basketballers or other disabilities - they they seem to play a lot more than you guys do.

16:49 Zac

Yeah. I guess they get a fair bit of a crack as well. And... it seems like they play a fair bit more, but we get a competition every... couple of years, I think. And in the next few years we've got a fair bit of... competition lined up as well. So we're getting our fair share, I guess, coming up. So, which is good. So, yeah.

17:05 Peter

Well, you're very humble and very modest. So... thank you for being like that. Tell us a bit about... how it's come to this selection. Obviously the championships have played a role as far as... you know, being spotted for your talent.

17:18 Zac

Yeah, absolutely. So the, yeah, championship happens every year at the start of the year, most of the time, where all the states come together and battle it out against each other, and you get some coaches out there that do a bit of scouting, I guess. And... I guess if you're... lucky enough and good enough, you get selected to a training camp or in the squad, in a sense. So, yeah. brought it to the squad and then do a few training camps during the year. And then from from that training camp, you get selected into the team, I guess. Yeah, a bit of a process, but yeah, it's a bit of fun.

17:50 Peter

Yeah. Well, of course South Australia do particularly well. You're from South Australia, in fact, I think you captain South Australia, don't you?

17:56 Zac

Correct, yes I do.

17:57 Peter

So I guess that kind of helps us with your leadership skills and other skills, not just basketball, kind of taking that into account.

18:04 Zac

Yeah, absolutely. I think I pride myself on... leadership, each year and even outside the basketball world and in the real life, especially with my job, I'm a... disability support worker myself. So guiding people... in the sector and... showing them... what people can do... like us. So, in the real world and showing people that there is... things we can do with the, with everyone else. So, yeah, really... take pride in the leadership and, like to guide people and help them out as much as... yeah, winning and stuff.

18:36 Peter

Yeah. Well, winning. Winning is good, but it's not everything.

18:39 Zac

Ah, yes, it's hard to turn into a sportsperson, but... when you when you... take a step back and and look at it, yes, winning isn't everything. But when you're in the moment, when you're kind of everything. But yes.

18:49 Peter

As you mentioned, you're from South Australia and you're playing for Australia. You've got a very good mate in the team alongside you - your brother.

18:57 Zac

Yeah. He's coming along again. So it's always, always good to play with him and very special every time. I think I'm probably the most, hardest on him - obviously, being his brother. And sometimes I could go a bit too far, but... he's great. He's... a big ball, so yeah, he loves it. And yeah, I think I was pushing that that much because I know how much you can do and how good he actually is. So, yeah. No, it was special. Special to play with him.

19:21 Peter

And a little bit of... brotherly rivalry, I think.

19:24 Zac

Yeah, I think there is - especially in trainings, we're always competing against each other because... yeah, we, if we're on the same team, we're a bit too good, I think. But no, no, it's always going up against each other and always pushing each other's buttons, which is... good, the competitive, sides there. And yeah, just like to push each other.

19:40 Peter

They also mentioned at the beginning, you're off to Kazakhstan. I guess this probably wouldn't be the the place you'd, uh, pick out for a holiday place, would it? With deference to our friends in Kazakhstan.

19:51 Zac

Yeah. Nothing against them, but probably not my first choice of holiday. But... no, I'm... really looking forward to it. Obviously, different culture and different everything, really. So I'm looking forward to it and seeing what's over there and really embracing it and just taking it all in.

20:04 Peter

What do you like, preparing for something like this, particularly that sort of other than basketball side... Zach, do you do much research, or do you go along and just take it all in as you play along and sort of experience day by day?

20:16 Zac

Oh, definitely just go along and just experience it day by day. I'm not much of a planner, really. I just get told what to do and I'll do it. Really? So... nah. Yeah, just really take it.... as it comes and soak it in and... yeah, enjoy the experience.

20:29 Peter

Yeah. What about who will be playing against. Do you know much about that?

20:32 Zac

So it's a different... competition this year - yeah, I guess so. We're playing a 5-v-5 tournament. But we're also playing a 3-v-3 tournament. In the 5v5, I think there's only four teams that are competing off the top of my head. I don't know the teams quite yet, but I guess we'll probably be France, Portugal and maybe Poland or maybe even USA, so I'm not... I can't confirm what teams will be over there. But in the 3v3 comp, apparently there's going to be about 13 teams. So a big difference I guess. But obviously with the less numbers it's probably easier to get a few more teams. But yeah, it's going to be...  interesting. But I'm also looking forward to that as well.

21:09 Peter

Yeah, I'm told that that 3v3 sort of competition or that area of basketball is a real growth area and expanding at a rapid rate.

21:17 Zac

Yeah, 100%. I think we've seen it in the last year, five, five years, especially with the... higher end athletes as well. The, the big pros and stuff. They're, yeah, they're really starting to grow and obviously in the... Olympics as well, you got the 3v3 comp in there. So he's really kicking off I guess. And especially for the European teams. They've really taken it on board and I reckon they've had a bit of a head start against us because they've been, I guess, training that for a while now and they've been doing some competitions over in Europe with against each other, so I guess they have that slight edge. 

But I think with our group, I think we adjust really well and it's basketball at the end of the day and we all love basketball, so I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out and make it come along, because we've only started really training 3v3 for the last couple training camps ourselves. So... it's a bit raw, but I'm sure by the end of the tournament we'll be... right.

22:07 Peter

How different is it as a player or from a fan view?

22:10 Zac

Yeah, it's very different to be honest. Like we've trained it over the last couple of training camps, like I said. And... doing the 3v3, it's a lot faster... a lot harder, a lot tougher. You have to concentrate. I have 99% of the time, if not 100% of the time, because if you're that 1% off, the other team's getting a bucket. So whereas 5v5, you can sort of rely on your teammates a fair bit to... help out on defence and the offence, and you can take a small break here and there just to catch your breath. But in 3v3 you're just going all the time and it's... crazy, but... no, it's really good to see.

22:44 Peter

The size of the court is the same.

22:46 Zac

So in 3v3 you're only playing the half court. Yeah. So it's not a full court thing. It's just you gotta get it outside the three point line to... start... your offence, if that makes sense. There's a lot of different... rules that go around it, but...

22:59 Peter

Yeah, yeah. Three, three by three on a... conventional basketball court - you know, might test a few... fitness levels out, mightn't it?

23:07 Zac

Yeah. I think in about two minutes I'll be... on the bench in the first two minutes, mate. I'll... be huffing and puffing, that's for sure.

23:14 Peter

Oh, terrific. Well, it certainly sounds like it's going to be exciting. And... I mean, I guess as you touched on, you know, maybe... bigger things coming up as far as the future goes. So I know without giving you too much involved with the controversy or the politics of it, you know, there's a good move to try and get more athletes involved at Paralympic level, which I think is obviously a very good thing.

23:34 Zac

Yeah, 100%. I reckon that's our our big goal, long term goal in the end. And um, I've had a, I've had a few words with the coaches and stuff and the coaching staff and they've had some behind the scenes talks and stuff that we don't really need to get involved with anyway. That's for them. And, um, we appreciate them busting their guts to get us at that level. And, um, they're trying everything they can and doing everything they can to get us in the spot where they think we should be and what we think we should be as well, and showcasing our skills like the rest of them.

24:03 Peter

That's a very astute approach. Yeah. Because I guess, as you're saying, you know, you worry about playing and let the administrators worry about administrating, but I guess it's good to know that they've got your backs in terms of your best interest to, you know, get the sport progressing and, and the opportunities progressing as much as they can. That's a good thing for you to know in the back of your mind.

24:20 Zac

Yeah, 100% like you said. Like we can just worry about playing basketball. Then we don't have to worry about if we're going to play here, play there, play it at that level. We can... we know that the coaches have got our backs and doing everything they can for us to to get us in that position so we can just worry about the basketball side. And... I reckon that's a big tick in, like definitely helps us just focus on basketball and just do what we do. And... yeah, let them do what they do. So, and they do it a hell of a job and we can't thank them enough.

24:46 Peter

Zach, I can't thank you enough. You're a very impressive young man. Thank you so much for speaking to us. Good luck to you. And, uh, and the boomerangs and the pearls, because you're all going away together, aren't you?

24:55 Zac

Yeah, 100%. So. Yeah. Thank you very much, Peter. Always great talking to you, mate, and I'm looking forward to catching up with you soon and having another chat and see how we go when we come back, so.

25:03 Peter

Well, you certainly look out to see how we go. We'll we'll let people know how the both the teams go in a few weeks time. Safe and happy travels Zach.

25:11 Zac

Thanks mate. I really do appreciate it.

25:13 Peter

Zach Georg. What an impressive person. He's a member of the Aussie Boomers as they, along with the pearls, prepare to go to Kazakhstan for a very important basketball tournament.

25:26 Pierre

Hi, I'm Pierre Commis, CEO of Special Olympics Australia. And you're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco on the Vision Australia Radio network.

25:39 Peter

Well, it's just great to a little while ago catching up with Zac Georg-Dent as they prepare for the trip to Kazakhstan to play basketball for the Boomerangs. Let's speak to the manager of the team and see how their preparation is going - for a point of view, I'll speak to Daniel Fabian, who I believe I can call Faves. Faves, welcome. Thanks for your time.

25:59 Daniel

No problems. Thank you very much for the invitation and I look forward to chatting with you.

26:02 Peter

Yes, well, we spoke to Zac and he's obviously very, very excited. What about from a manager's point of view - how much preparation do you have to do from a personal point of view to kind of find out what's ahead of you, the team and obviously the players?

26:14 Daniel

Yeah. Look, it's it's a really big undertaking of a job... one that I'm firstly, privileged to do. 
And very honoured to represent Australia. Taking that aside, um, I do get the all the fun jobs, as I tend to say. Part of my role as team manager isn't just about smiling on court and handing out water bottles for... from a national perspective, it's really pretty much doing everything. So... my job is to liaise directly with the head coach who is Ryan Holloway. My other job is to liaise directly with Basketball Australia, Sport Inclusion Australia... and also a little bit, with Verdis, who is the overarching body that that sees the games that we go through. 

So from a player liaison perspective, it's my job as well where the players will talk to me sometimes on a daily basis, sometimes on a weekly basis, depending on their needs, depending on what I need from them as well. I generally speak to the head coach predominantly daily, depending on what needs to be done. Same thing with Basketball Australia. My job really involves doing a lot of things with them behind the scenes, to be able to make the team comfortable within their space, to be able to do what it is they do on court. I do get rewarded after all the hard work of preparing for a competition that I always say I get the best seat in the house to actually watch the game. 

And you know, there are duties within the game itself that I do. But leading into a competition, there's lots and lots of work. It is a volunteer role. So from that perspective, I do work, a couple of jobs. So to throw this on top is literally a it's not quite a full time role, but it'd be pretty close to 20 hours a week that you do leading into it. So certainly since about February this year, I've been putting about 20 hours a week into the program and that's, you know, takes a big chunk of your time. So again, very grateful to my family who allow me to pursue the goals that I have, on a personal note, in being part of an Australian team.

28:14 Peter

Yeah, I guess the fact that it's... a big international tournament is, say, coming up that... kind of, means that, you know, it's kind of full on, I guess other times of the year might not be quite as... much time needed to spend at it.

28:27 Zac

No. Very true in saying that, Peter. However, in within our competition we have nationals that are in February. So I also volunteer. I'm a team manager for Victoria for the Victorian side. So the Victorian [?Overberg men's team] is my team manager. So leading in from selection, which is around October, we then go into nationals and obviously from a national perspective, you know, coaches are then looking at potential players within nationals. And then we have teams that are selected to be part of the squad. So again, it's about acknowledging those players, making sure that they have what we call eligibility for international selection. 

So my role is to then make sure I talk with Sport Inclusion Australia to see where that sits within the scheme of that particular player and athlete to sort of say, Right, yes, you have eligibility, so you are up for selection or you can be up for selection or okay, you haven't met the eligibility. So you can be part of the squad for now. But again, it becomes a, you know, a decision that becomes quite challenging because if you can't be selected for eligibility, it makes it a little bit more challenging for you to be able to be part of a squad because you're then taking somebody else's spot. 

So it's not as chaotic as it is leading into a championship. But it's pretty much all year round, which is, I think, not something I was expecting when I took the role on, back in '23. But, as I said, very privileged and very honoured to have the role and to be, you know, a select few team managers that actually get to say they are Australian team manager.

29:56 Peter

Sure. What about going to a place like Kazakhstan? I guess you've had to do a bit of preparation about that in terms of customs and language and all that sort of thing.

30:04 Zac

In saying that, we're quite fortunate that we don't have to do a great deal other than show up and play our game. So from a from a language perspective, I've done a little bit of research. Unfortunately, they are predominantly English speaking in Kazakhstan. From a safety perspective, Basketball Australia have a security arm, or branch, department, which does due diligence to make sure that it's actually safe to go to. So currently at the moment there is the various tennis championships that are happening in Kazakhstan. So we understand that, you know, with them being there, it's a safe space to be. Sport Inclusion Australia also do their due diligence to make sure that it's okay. 

Going back to Basketball Australia, however, we speak... and we had the head of the department, Shannon Bradley, actually do a live stream to our athletes and staff at our last camp. And he was able to articulate quite clearly the safety features that he goes through before he gives the okay for us to travel. He will speak very closely to the embassy in Kazakhstan, the Australian embassy in in Kazakhstan, probably about this time to touch base and say, Right, what's actually happening on the ground at the moment? He doesn't do things six months in advance, because obviously we live in a world that's very transient and things change very quickly. So he will be talking to them quite consistently. 

He will also be talking, no doubt, to part of the team that's over there with tennis to make sure that things are safe and things work. We also have a representative from Basketball Australia who will be travelling with us as well, who'll be able to liaise directly back to Shannon and obviously if need be, the embassy should something happen. But we're very confident that we wouldn't be sending a group of athletes and staff to a place that is not safe.

31:52 Peter

So I guess that live streaming, that would also give a lot of comfort to the families of the players.

31:56 Zac

Yeah, absolutely. And that was why we did it. So we actually teed it up with Shannon to do a Zoom session. So we were actually in the AIS in Canberra on camp. He was based in Melbourne and we had parents across the nation link in whilst we were doing it, so they could ask questions if they wanted. But he was very explicit in explaining his role, explaining the processes and we were able then to inter-[?]  that, you know, back then. So that was going back about 6 or 8 weeks ago that we were, you know, going to a space that was at that stage comfortable to go to. And nothing's changed. If anything, it's probably gotten a bit better knowing that there's the tennis championships that are there at the moment.

32:33 Peter

We actually spoke to Andriana Petrarkis from South Australia a couple of weeks ago, just before she left, that she was obviously very excited. So that's good to hear. So it sounds like, do you kind of write reports? You talked about the sort of lines of communication and who you report to. Do you kind of write reports sort of afterwards, to fill the sort of gaps in that sort of thing?

32:54 Zac

Yeah. We do. So from a staffing perspective, head coach Ryan Holloway will definitely have some key staff members write some reports in regards to their experience, to recommendations, things that may not have worked so well or things that were overseen. And it's about continuous improvement. So I was injected into the team or selected into the team in 23 midway through a campaign, so to speak. So we were heading off to France. So my learning was was very steep. A couple of years down the track, I can certainly say what I learnt back in '23 when we went to France and, you know, won a gold medal and everything else, I was able to reflect on that. 

So from a best practice perspective, doing things a little bit differently this time, being able to ask some different questions, knowing what I do to what I don't do, how we can improve, is then also a reflection on the last report that I wrote as team manager. So no doubt post these championships, I'll run another report and then review on that. And should I be selected again in the future, I'll be able to draw on those experiences and sort of say, okay, how can we make this better? And when I say better, it's about the experience for the athletes, of course. My role as team manager has always been about the athletes. I'm a seasoned team manager. So for me, it's not about trying to coach. I have no interest in coaching. The funny thing with me is people go, oh, you're in basketball, which I know all the plays. And I go, I don't know one play, regardless of which team I'm managing.

Because I'm literally all about the athletes. So as long as we get more baskets in the hoop than the other team, I know we win the games. I know from that perspective, for me, it's about the the welfare of my athletes, making sure my athletes can get to their games without it being a stressful time, other than them just focusing on the game itself. And again, that's regardless of which team I'm part of, and I attempt to have everything that I feel an athlete will need, and more so they can actually perform their best on the day.

34:47 Peter

I was running out of time. You mentioned you've got two jobs. What do you do?

34:50 S5

So I'm a personal trainer in my before and after work, and I have a range of different clients that I train. But then my predominantly full time job is I work in a specialist school with young fellas, young boys who all have ADHD and other impairments. So in my space of the boomerangs and either, it's really good to see them progress from a national and a state perspective, having potentially known they've come from where my young students are at school now and learning the way of the world and. And the other way around as well. The world learning their world. And that becomes a very critical part too, is understanding the space of of the athletes and students. 

So for me, I don't see my boys as having impairments. I see my boys as being athletes.... when I talk about the boys, whether it's the Victorian team or the bigger part of the program or the Boomerangs, and same thing works for the girls. So the Australian Belles, the equivalent of the Boomerangs. I don't see them as having impairments. I see them as being athletes and attempting to communicate that to the outside world and the outside world. Also seeing them as athletes, because they certainly work exceptionally hard to be representatives of either their state or their country.

36:00 Peter

Fantastic. Great note to end on. Good luck to you and the team and all the players as well, because obviously we look forward to seeing how we go. We thank you for some really wonderful insights and keep up the great work. And we'll certainly catch up with the teams when you return.

36:14 Zac

My pleasure and thank you for the opportunity too. Go the Boomerangs and go the Belles!

36:17 Peter

Indeed, indeed. We will be supporting them as hard as we can. That's Daniel Fabian there, who's a manager of the the Boomerangs, the Australian men's basketball team, as they head off for Kazakhstan. And we'll keep you as much as we can across the results and certainly catch up with the teams when they return.

36:38 Program ID

You're in elite company listening to Leisure Link here on Vision Australia Radio. VA radio, digital VA radio and through the TuneIn radio app.

37:00 Peter

Let's catch up with our resident physiotherapist from the Flipper Academy, Chelsea Marchetti. Chelsea, good to catch up again.

37:07 Chelsea

Good to catch up, Peter. Hope you had a nice Easter.

37:10 Peter

Yes, it's... quite a bit of chocolate, which was good. Maybe too much chocolate, but that's for another topic for another day.

37:17 Chelsea

You never have too much.

37:18 Peter

I couldn't agree with you more. It's very healthy for you, I've been told. So that's what I go with. Chelsea, Mother's Day tomorrow or depending on when people hear the... podcast. I guess some people might be giving vouchers for... massage for Mother's Day. Or for anyone, for that matter. What about massage? What sort of... benefits is there, or are there any in fact?

37:38 Chelsea

Yes, there is some benefits to massage, both mental and physical benefits to having massage. I guess one of the key ones is pain relief, as it does help relax our muscles and can help really just help with recovery. Psychologically, it's really nice to have a massage because it makes you feel a lot looser and a lot more calm. And that can also have its own positive benefits as well.

38:03 Peter

Because often they're kind of called pamper packs, aren't they? So you get maybe a massage and a foot massage and a facial as well, kind of all, sort of thrown into kind of, I guess. Well, can literally pamper you.

38:15 Chelsea

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, we all love to be pampered. We all love about ourselves. So, you know, having someone do that for us can really make us feel really good. And it can give us a bit more rejuvenation and energy. And that's always something that is beneficial both physically and psychologically.

38:31 Peter

I know I've been around a long time, so I guess like if it's been around a long time, it must be kind of proven or it must be beneficial in some way if it's kind of stood the test of time.

38:41 Chelsea

Yeah. So I think, there's been a lot of difference in opinion on the... outcomes and effects of massage. So the one thing I will say with massage regarding our sport and, you know, I guess looking more on the physical side of things. So massage isn't an injury prevention technique. However, what it is, is a form of a pain relieving and recovery technique which can help us really rejuvenate our muscles and help them recover quicker... from what we've just done. But I think a lot of the time people kind of have the impression that, you know, lots of massages or frequency of massage can help prevent injury. That's not necessarily the case. 

So things that prevent injury are things that, you know, Peter, we've spoken about before, strength training and all those sorts of things. But, you know, massage is really helpful for the recovery process because we know that our muscles need time to heal and recover from what we've done, whether it be physical exercise... or, you know, maybe we did something really strenuous at work. They need time to rejuvenate and recover. That's why we need to sleep and all those sorts of things. So massage kind of falls into that category where it helps us give our muscles time, reduces some of the pain that we might feel if we're experiencing like delayed onset muscle soreness and then psychologically help us rejuvenate so that we can go into the next thing.

39:58 Peter

There's... different types of massage out there. There's sort of deep tissue massage, relaxation massage, Swiss massage, Thai massage... I mean, I'm not sure what sort of differences there are. Maybe it's a bit, or a fair bit, in the marketing.

40:10 Chelsea

Yeah. I mean, look, I can't touch on the specific differences because to be honest with you, Peter, I'm not quite sure myself. I know that there are some eastern medicine reasons behind the... I guess, theory of Thai massage and some of those other massages when we're talking about deep tissue versus relaxation. From my experience, that's just around... the pressure. So, you know, deep tissue massage is going to be really intense pressure. Deep pressure, that's going to be like your real kind of saw massage... that some people can tolerate. I myself cannot... but, you know, then your relaxation is a bit more like a bit calmer and not, not as intense. 

So it's really just what you're after. A lot of athletes love the kind of deep tissue because it really gets into their muscles. And then, you know, some people might prefer just a relaxation massage because they're really about that rejuvenation and psychological effects of massage and just want a little bit of the physical, but don't want to be experiencing a lot of distress while they're having that done. So it's really just depends on personal preference.

41:10 Peter

That... thing you said about athletes, I guess that might be they're thinking of... there's no gain without pain.

41:16 Chelsea

Yeah, it could be a little bit of that. Yeah, a little bit of that. And, you know, they're always wanting to get the best performance they can. So having sore muscles is going to, I guess impact that versus having not sore muscles. So if they're kind of getting into them, a lot. And that has its 24 hour effect, then... it's again, it's that pain mechanism that they're not feeling that's helping them perform better. So that's always something that... we as physios in the sports realm are a proportion of what we're responsible for.

41:44 Peter

Yeah, I know that obviously with the work in the Academy, it's... a lot of it is done with aquatics or in water etc. But does massage play much of a role in sort of conventional physiotherapy, or is that not really part of your toolkit?

41:56 Chelsea

Yeah. So... lots of physios use... what we call manual therapy. And manual therapy is a broad term for a few different things that we do to help people. And it's kind of in reference to hands on. I guess if you're not kind of a physio, you would just think it's all massage or a form of massage. But, you know, we have... specific manual therapy where we're targeting kind of joints and joint mobilising, and then you might have, like your massage where you're just doing, like a deep tissue kind of massage where you might just be releasing a muscle. So there is a bit of that in conventional physio. 

Myself, when I was treating adults, my main theory around using massage was to help people move. So the only reason I would give kind of hands on therapy would be initially, if we had someone in a lot of pain, or they were scared to move. So, you know, someone who's had a back strain or something, they might just not want to move at all. But I guess if you don't move, you start to kind of build up a guard in your body. Your body's going to start fearing movement. It's going to make it. 

So... a lot of that, yeah, a lot of that manual therapy can be used to kind of just help with that pain relief aspect of what we were talking about before... to then actually allow the patient to do something like move in a way that is going to help them. And then eventually strengthen that area, later on as a more long-term preventative strategy. So it is really used in those acute stages. Well, when I was practicing, and using it a lot, that's what I used to kind of implement myself. But various physios have different ways that they like to use it.

43:26 Peter

You talked about the different pressures, if you like. I guess that kind of, as I said, depends on two things what sort of pressure the recipient likes and also some, you know, very strong with their fingers and hands, etc. they might apply more pressure than they realise in a sense that I know the times I've had massage, often the therapist will say, you know, let me know if I'm too hard or too soft... sort of thing.

43:47 Chelsea

Yeah, absolutely. And... when we're talking about... the more technical stuff like the joint mobilisation, we actually get taught how to do different grades of that. So there's up to five different grades, okay - with grade five being, like, quite deep and intense, and then you've kind of got like your grade two one two, which are quite soft, so you're not going as far into the joint when you're kind of mobilising it. So that's how we used to kind of get taught the different levels of pressure when you're doing that sort of technique. 

And then when you're learning kind of your massage stuff, it's exactly what you just said, Peter. You're kind of you're going through like how much pressure the patient wants or needs and then just getting a bit of a verbal feedback from them as to how how much they're coping, and also just their body language and physical things that they're responding to, like if they're twitching and kind of making movements and not really wanting you to touch them while you're doing it. Gauge a little bit of, Oh, this is probably a little bit too hard. If they're looking really relaxed, like almost asleep... and, you know, they kind of said to you, I really want a deep tissue, then you're kind of going, Okay, maybe I need to go a bit harder so you can kind of pick it up with experience as well.

44:48 Peter

Yeah. No, I guess that's up to the individual... massage therapists to do that. And along those lines, you kind of said that it's not really going to prevent injuries. And I guess depending on how experienced or how... educated that the massage therapist is as to how they might treat an injury. I guess they're the sort of things that obviously, you've got to talk to the therapist and maybe check out their credentials. And obviously, if you've got friends and family that might use one that either might say, this person is really good, or maybe avoid this one because they're not so good.

45:17 Chelsea

Yeah. Absolutely. Definitely. And it's all personal preference and just seeing what you like and what you need and what's clinically relevant for your injury, if that's why you're getting your massage or your therapy.

45:28 Peter

Alright. I know there's some, you know, very well established, uh, outlets that... do a lot of this sort of stuff. So I guess you'd hope that they would be very well educated in that area. But, you know, you can never do enough research as far as just making sure that everything is okay.

45:43 Chelsea

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, when you're talking about physio practices, you know, all practicing physio go through a physio degree. So you kind of always know that you're going to be with someone that's got a qualification when you're looking at your massage stuff. Often I find, if you've got a massage therapist linked in with a physio clinic. The physio clinic will kind of always go with someone that's got, you know, reasonable credentials. So that could be something that might be a bit of a good inkling on what can be good and what can't. You know, I guess what you said before, Peter, is really a key as well. Like if you've got a friend that's been that's able to tell you what that experience was like, then you kind of can tell, you know, exactly what you're walking into, versus not,  Google reviews and those sorts of things as well can also be helpful. 

But yeah, my point and tip is always, if they're able to claim private health insurance, like if they have that accessible to you, then you know that they're a legitimate massage place. And that they'd be... have people that are qualified to do that because we know that private health places won't claim, if they're not registered to a certain practice or registration body. And then, you know, second to that, if you've got a physio practice that offers a massage therapist, then you've kind of got your two and two. So if you're going to a massage therapist for something, you know that if that massage therapist picks up on something that's not quite right, there is a physio there. And if it's there, then they can always refer you on. So there is kind of that multi-day approach in there as well. So they're kind of the two things I always look out for when I'm getting a massage or wanting to do something like that myself.

47:12 Peter

And the physio and the physio can kind of supervise the whole situation, kind of liaise as well, which would be a very important thing. Just so everyone is in the loop as far as what's going on.

47:20 Chelsea

Absolutely. Especially if you're someone who... has a chronic injury. Yeah. Have a massage. Like I'd really recommend, if you see a physio already, either getting a recommendation from them or if they've got someone at the clinic using them, because then exactly that they can oversee what's going on. They can see the notes. They share the notes on the same software system. And then, you know, that you're kind of going to be looked after and... not, you know, sore after a week or not able to move or something's gone wrong or those sorts of things. So that's kind of the safest option, I think, if you're in that kind of chronic pain stage as well.

47:50 Peter

If that is a high priority, trust me. If you want to find out more about the Flipper Academy, how can we find you?

47:56 Chelsea

Yeah. So you can find us online at WWW dot Flipper Academy dot com. We also have our Instagram which is Flipper Academy and we are also on Facebook. So go and give us a look, check us on Google if you like and all the information should be on there for you.

48:10 Peter

Good to catch up. We'll speak next month. Be winter by then.

48:13 Chelsea

Yeah. My goodness. So crazy. It's going way too quick.

48:16 Peter

Oh no. All right. That's... Chelsea Marchetti there from the... Flipper Academy. And if you'd like a topic for Chelsea to talk about, get in touch and Chelsea will do it for us.

48:28 Vision Australia ID

Keep in touch with Vision Australia Radio in Adelaide on 1197 AM.

48:34 Peter

Matt Cook is the Minister for Human Services here in South Australia - that always makes himself available, which we appreciate. Matt, welcome. And you're looking for our feedback regarding your disability inclusion plan. Welcome to the program.

48:48 Matt

Hi. Thanks a lot Peter. Happy weekend to you.

48:51 Peter

Thank you. Now... late last month, you launched your Disability Action Plan, or for a review for people to give feedback, or you'll say, a plan.

49:02 Matt

Yeah. So, people will remember, you know, the disability inclusion work that's been going on now for about seven years, since it was first touted. And that is about setting up some, you know, parameters and standards and aspiration for people around access and inclusion in our community, specifically ensuring that people with disability can... participate and get involved in community on an equal level to everybody else in our community. So we, as a civilised society, take responsibility deeply around making sure that people can participate. And there shouldn't be barriers that are insurmountable that are in place for people to participate, particularly with disabilities. 

So the Act sets out some rules around that. And from that we developed a plan called the Disability Inclusion Plan or the State Plan. And we have done the review that we've been through a whole cycle of this. And now we reviewed the act last year and did some or the year before, and we did some work in Parliament last year. And now we continue to keep doing that parliamentary work. But also we've got a draft plan out for people to have a look at, on your say-so that's open until... a week on Thursday, for people to have their say under a range of themes around access, opportunity, support, wellbeing and justice. 

So that's a lot of words. You know, it's a lot of, sort of official words. Yeah. Sounds a bit bureaucratic and what have you. But basically it is about creating a community, where people can participate and setting out some steps in which to do so. And look, the last plan, you know, achieved quite a lot. I think we've got a lot more clear in terms of setting out our... awareness programs, our raising... the profile of people with disability, particularly around the autism space. I know we've done a lot of work and also access to, you know, decent... facilities and... ways for people to participate in... community. So I think there's been a lot of success, and we can keep doing more.

51:22 Peter

Now you're targeting five groups in particular, if I can put it that way.

51:25 S9

Yeah, we've got priority groups. There's actually... there was, I think five and we've added to it, so that makes seven. That's Aboriginal people... people with cultural, linguistic, diverse backgrounds, so CALD people... children... women... and then we've got... the LGBTQ+ community... and people with... significant intellectual disability or really high levels of vulnerability due to their disability. 

And that particular, that last group is particularly important because it reframes or resets the way we... have to, or we're obligated to communicate in a much simpler form so people can understand. And I often say to people, inclusion is everyone's business. It's... up to the whole community. And in terms of that, communicating or displaying signs more simply or communicating, you know, different things in a different language. More clearly, more simple language that helps heaps of people, not just people with disability or intellectual disability, people with communication challenges, young people, people with... low levels of English, people with dementia, older people, visitors to the community. So... if we do a better job, broadly, communicating, it makes it easier for everyone.

52:45 Peter

Well, full disclosure that... often if there's a version that is simplified, that's the one I read first, to kind of get a real gist of what things are about, my friend.

52:53 Matt

You are on no island when it comes to that. So we often get given big, big documents and if there is an easy-read version, I'll have a quick peek at it to get a summary of it and then dive into the large document, or vice versa. Or just go to the executive summary. I think, you know, people want to get a bit of a basic idea before they dive deep into it. It's like reading the back of a book.

53:17 Peter

Yeah, yeah. Now, I'm sure most people listening to this would be aware of it, but not everyone with a disability is on the NDIS. So this is aimed at everyone with a disability and indeed carers, families etc. so it's very broad ranging. It's not kind of NDIS-specific at all, is it?

53:33 Matt

Oh absolutely not. And you know this is about the broad community, the hundreds of thousands of people in our community that live with disability, not the tens of thousands who get higher levels of funding to support them with their disability and their engagement, such as those on the NDIS. And so if we get this part right, the broader inclusion piece, it's a bit like how we're discussing getting foundational supports, right. These are different levels of support and activity for people outside of the NDIS that might prevent people needing a more intensive support package into the future. But also these objectives help us to support people without people needing paid supports, for example.

54:23 Peter

And of course, that is equally important, not more important. But it's equally important because, as you say, it's more people that you're involving and their requirements, their accessibility, their inclusion is equally important.

54:34 Matt

Absolutely.

54:35 Peter

Now, so people have got a couple or so weeks, we'll put details up with our show notes as to how people can contribute to it. And as I say, it's pretty much anyone that is associated with a disability or has a disability that can contribute. So we'll put those details up. Also putting your... Minister for Aging Well hat on that, you've recently announced some things there as well.

54:57 Matt

Yeah, we've got some really excellent... recipients to the aging world community... grants, community and research grants. 51 organizations are getting nearly... well, more than actually three quarters of a million dollars in grants for seniors. There's some really big, and good projects in the positive aging fellowship area. There's age-friendly grants, impact research grants, and 16 of our successful recipients are located in the regions... stretching right from the Iron Triangle in the mid-north to the southeast. So there's community projects, there's research projects. It's all about... how we, the government is committed to supporting South Australians to age well - and those organisations that work with older people, people from diverse backgrounds to again set some frameworks in place for better participation. 

There's a range of non-government and non-profit organisations who have won grants. There's a couple that I'm really keen just to mention quickly. The Dementia [?Jewellers], they're people that help guide and support people who are caring for people... with dementia. And the aim here is to bring carers together, and help build their knowledge, to help, to support people in their community and their family and friends who are experiencing dementia and the signs and process of dementia. So that program is is good. It will help carers look after themselves and others. We've got a program targeting Aboriginal community housing to support living... in the Elders Village. There's a whole range of small projects. One of the really excellent ones... and talking today, showdown day one is the walking football...

56:47 Peter

Yeah, that's a great project, isn't it?

56:49 Matt

Yeah, it's really good. Really good. Helping people... participate. I myself, have had knee surgery to both knees, significant knee surgery. And it means that playing normal, actual physical running netball would be pretty dangerous for me. So I have played... walking netball and so I can I've seen people playing walking football. It's a very similar concept. It's really great fun, really excellent way to participate. People of all ages can play, people with and without disability can play, young people and older people - bridging the generation gap, learning how to play and participating in footy. We're supporting some... excellent work out of [?Nonaka China's] with food preparation and delivery and lessons. So a really diverse range of stuff happening in the community as a result of these excellent grants.

57:41 Peter

And that, of course, last Saturday, the election took place, a resounding win for Labor. I'll give you ten seconds to gloat about that... but on a serious note, yeah, it looks like Labor's probably going to be in federally for the next two terms, and certainly in South Australia probably for the next two terms as well. So it gives you both a great chance to kind of establish some really good working relationships in the next little while, to really get some things to change.

58:03 Matt

Yeah.

58:03 S2

No pressure, no pressure.

58:05 Matt

I think I'm really relieved that we can continue those working relationships in the community, and work across government to deliver on some of the commitments we've made. The work isn't finished. We've been doing... heaps of work around the NDIS review, the disability royal commission. All of that can continue. There's the Aged Care Royal Commission... you know, there's all of those things that have been bubbling away for the past few years and have not been finished, so we can continue to do that. I'm really looking forward to the foundational supports building that we've committed to. And, you know, of course I might be biased, but I feel like it's in good hands. And... I'm keen to continue that great work into the future.

58:49 Peter

What does it say with both governments being pretty stable for the next little while, there's kind of going to... be no excuse.

58:55 Matt

No there isn't. And, you know, nor do we anyone, nor does anyone in the community want excuses. They just want people to get on with it. So I'm looking forward to it. We work well across the country with all the different ministers in their portfolios, and I'm looking forward to us getting back together. And, you know, setting up our framework for the next few years to work together.

59:16 Peter

That I know you're busy, so we'll let you go. Thanks, as always, for your time.

59:18 Matt

Thanks, heaps. Come to Power. Yes.

59:21 Peter

Indeed. No worries. Tonight, though, that weren't even as Labor did last week, I reckon.

59:26 Matt

Terrific. Well, I will wait and see. I can't, I can't bear the thought.

59:31 Peter

I look at the kiss of death here.

59:34 Matt

Well, they'll need to do better than last week.

59:36 Peter

Matt Cook here, the Minister for Human Services and football expert here on Leisure Link.

59:44 Program ID

On the Vision Australia network through your favourite podcast service, on 1197 AM in Adelaide, you're listening to Leisure Link.

59:53 Peter

Well, it's May - and every month we catch up with our friends from Resthaven. And this time we're speaking to Stacey Thompson, the manager for Volunteer Services. Stacey, welcome. Thank you for coming along.

1:00:05 Stacey

Oh hi, Peter. Thank you. I'm looking forward to our chat. I look forward to this every May.

1:00:10 Peter

Now you've brought a big, bright smile with you to the studio. Well, what are you shining your smiley face on?

1:00:18 Stacey

You can hear it in my voice, I think. So may you know that time of the year where... it's extra special time. We want to... shine an extra bright light on volunteers and volunteering and the work that they do. And we want to do that in a few different ways, like. Well, we've got some celebrations coming up. And of course, this is an important opportunity. It coincides with National Volunteer Week. So towards the end of May we've got three celebrations in our regional areas. So one in our Murray Bridge area, one in our Port Elliott area and one in our Mount Gambier area. But we're going to kick off the first one... on the 19th of May with a reception at Government House.

1:01:07 Peter

Okay. Government House.

1:01:08 S11

I know, that's... one we're really looking forward to it. It should be really lovely. It's going to be hosted by His Excellency, Dr Richard Harris, Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. And Mrs. Harris. This has come about because, recognising that it is Resthaven's 90th anniversary this year, so Resthaven began in 1935, and volunteers have been involved from... the very beginning. So it's going to be a really lovely... evening.

1:01:43 Peter

Yeah. We spoke to Julie, I think, late last year who previewed the fact that this was an important year with lots of different events. I think Government House is one that Julie didn't tell us about. So that's obviously something that's only come along lately, but I'm sure there'll be a lot of people very excited about getting along.

1:01:59 Stacey

Yes. And, you know, these are really... special time. And, you know, we, we recognise and celebrate... volunteers, every day. But this is just an opportunity to shine an extra bright light on volunteering and not just, you know, with volunteers themselves, but we know we want to tell people and share with people what volunteers do, which is a way of thanking and acknowledging. And, you know, it might even inspire other people to take up volunteering and to consider it as well.

1:02:31 Peter

So it's a really good point that people should be, kind of recognised for their efforts all the time, but it's kind of nice if you've got an event that you can kind of, sort of isolate or make it just a little bit more... unique.

1:02:44 Stacey

I think that you're right. You know, it's always good to take some time out to have an extra special thank you. And, you know, and being... Resthaven's 90th anniversary, they've... just launched - nd it was only yesterday - a Living History website. So - I know, it's really cool. It was sort of shown to us yesterday, and I'm inspired to jump on and have a really big look at it. And, you know, your listeners might be interested in it. And because it's such a lot of history going back to 1935 and, and when and how Rest Haven came about and started and the marketing team led by Charlotte has been working on this for... some time. And as you can imagine, there's a lot of information to collate and organise in a way that will appeal to people. 

So I encourage people to go in and have a little poke around and have a look. And there's some really lovely images as well that, you know, black and white images that go back and show, you know, history of time and eras and fashions, but also building styles from, you know, then to now. So the address is WWW Resthaven. But even if you go to our website, you'll find the link on our website as well.

1:04:16 Peter

Now I had a quick look at it after it was launched, and it looks pretty accessible. So, I'm not a great navigator of websites, but it looks quite accessible, which is great. I think it's okay to mention this, that also, if people have got things that they might think could contribute to the history of your... As It Happens... very happy to hear from other people.

1:04:35 Stacey

That's a really good point. You found that, didn't you, when you had a look? Yeah. So, can you imagine how many people have been linked or associated with Resthaven going back? And they all had stories and we want to hear those stories. So it's really great to capture this. So the history lives on.

1:04:54 Peter

Alright. We'll put that information up with our show notes. We might even get you to repeat it before we wrap up now. You always like to share a few stories about... some of the impact that volunteers can have.

1:05:04 Stacey

I do. And... I want to share a little bit about one that's coming up that hasn't been published yet. And it will be... online available next week, I think from Tuesday, we're sharing a story about Nicholas, who's a volunteer that joined us recently at our Paradise site. And I'm just looking at a photo of him right now with a with a resident. And this photo was taken when this, this beautiful person was turning 100 and they were being interviewed by our story writer, Helen. And... she needed a translator. And so Nicholas, who speaks Italian, it was a... joy because he was able to help them communicate and connect. And she was talking about, you know, her life and having lived to, you know, her a really beautiful age. 

And Nicholas is connecting with many people from Italy. And I think he's crossed paths with someone from the same part of Italy. They they were from the same part. So then they started speaking in their local dialect. So how good is that? Because you being Italian, you know that how many dialects there is. So, um, I encourage people to keep an eye out for that story. And even just if you just have a look at the wonderful photo, I think that photo even featured on our on our magazine recently on a Rest Haven review. So bravo to Nicholas. They do enjoy an espresso too.

1:06:32 Peter

Well, that... they must be Italian then. No.

1:06:36 Stacey

We'll see.

1:06:37 Peter

You've... kind of had a story up most months this year so far, haven't you?

1:06:42 Stacey

We we do. And you know, one of the stories or the story that we had in April and Resthaven have begun celebrating... staff and volunteers. So... people that are involved,  through an Excellence Awards night - and so on this particular night, we had five volunteer finalists. And I do want to mention their names, which this included Pam Jones from Resthaven Riverland Community Services, Julie Mulligan from Resthaven Belleview Heights, Dawn Whelan from our residential site at Murray Bridge, Ian Kluge from Murray Bridge also, and Linda O'Neill from Resthaven Aberfoyle Park. And Linda O'Neill was presented with the volunteer award. 

But, you know, these people represent the entire volunteer workforce across Resthaven. You know, they're outstanding people who who represent the, all the volunteers that we have. And, you know, special mention for Dawn Whelan, who [?] has been associated with Resthaven for 50 years.

1:07:52 Peter

Wow. So more than half the Resthaven history?

1:07:55 Stacey

Yes. And your math is very good Peter.

1:07:59 Peter

I'll put the socks on shortly.

1:08:01 Stacey

So that's the combination. Oh, yes. Are you counting your toes? That's a combination of working both as a staff member and as a volunteer. So fabulous.

1:08:12 Peter

Well, well. Well done. Well played.

1:08:14 Stacey

So I do want to mention the February story, which we featured Rob, who volunteers with Resthaven Westbourne Park. And he's really, he really enjoys getting to know individuals and spending time with individuals. And, you know, as we often hear, that... older people can experience loneliness. So Rob is playing a huge role in helping, you know, alleviate and combat that, you know, and one of the things he does when there's a call for is run a men's group to... he's a former teacher, so he's been involved with people and connecting with people. So there's a, um, a photo of Rob cooking the barbecue. So, um, keep an eye out. 

Peter

I'll have a look out for that one. 

Stacey

And we had a great story in in January. This featured Diane, who is a volunteer with us at Northern Community Services. This is really cool. Diane also receives some support from us. And... she has had a career in working in the community sector. And so... she's got so many skills and she saw an opportunity to help out with organising the bus outings. So she's really enjoying putting her experience and skills to good use and finding it really rewarding. So I love that story.

1:09:40 Peter

Now, the... stories that you've given us kind of gives people a bit of a snapshot of the opportunities that are there, aren't they? Like, there's... opportunities all the time.

1:09:48 Stacey

There is. And, you know, people who know me will say, we'll have never have enough volunteers. And I think, you know, you know, what is how can I sort of describe that or put that, you know, each person that we support each everyone is an individual. So, you know, the more volunteers we have, we're helping to meet unique individuals and match up people... and, you know, with their skills and their interests and their talents. So volunteers play to... play a huge role in helping enrich the experience of older people and to live good lives. 

And in turn, we want volunteers to have a really, really good experience, you know, so they stay and they flourish and they develop and they grow and they recommend to other people as well. I've got in front of me a photo of a beautiful photo of... this is with... Mary, a volunteer with Westbourne Park, and there's a photo of her with... some of the lifestyle team, and they're all dressed in a French theme, and it shows really great energy and style, and it shows that they're working well together. And that's what we want. You know, all of us at Resthaven work well together to really enrich the lives of older people.

1:11:04 Peter

If you're not sure what happened here, but you're right. Smiley voice has made the clock go really fast.

1:11:13 Stacey

Ah. You're funny. Thank you.

1:11:15 Peter

We're out of time, but we're out of time. You've upset the gun.

1:11:20 Stacey

Okay, so, yes, I do want to pass on our details. So, as you know, if people are inspired to contact us about volunteering or share with a friend who they think would be really good and would really enjoy this, or even go to our website and, you know, have had a long connection with Resthaven and want to jump out onto the history website... so a way of contacting  me is 0418 105 510 - or email Volunteer at Resthaven dot org.

1:11:57 Peter

Alright, you know that history site, I mean, it's a great way if people like nostalgia, like to take a trip down memory lane, there's a perfect example of how to do it.

1:12:07 Stacey

Yes, I know I encourage people to go in and have a look. They'll, you know, find some really great things there.

1:12:14 Peter

Just give us that website again for the history page.

1:12:16 Stacey

Oh, you're testing me now. Oh, w-w-w. [? see MORE INFO above]

1:12:23 Peter

Thank you for that and good luck to all those that go to Government House. That sounds like it's going to be a wonderful day, so I'm sure everyone will enjoy it. It's a... wonderful setting, so be hard not to enjoy it I think.

1:12:33 Stacey

Thanks, Peter. And and a shout out to all the mothers for Mother's Day on Sunday.

1:12:38 Peter

Lovely message. Thanks. It comes from the manager for volunteer services at Resthaven. All that information up with our show notes.

1:12:47 David

Hi, I'm David Mitchell, health commentator, and you're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco on Vision Australia Radio network. Its wit, wisdom, knowledge and compassion make your show real.

1:13:03 Peter

Mother's Day tomorrow. Hope you have a good day. And if you're listening to this on podcast, I hope you had a great day. Let's get some interesting insights from Marcus Marchant who is CEO for Vistaprint. Marcus, good to meet you. Thanks for your time. 

1:13:16 Marcus

Thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to a chat.

1:13:18 Peter

Now with some interesting insights... anything in particular that took you by surprise?

1:13:21 Marcus

Look. Absolutely. I think, um, well, the research really showed that, um, you know, flowers and chocolates and gift vouchers are still the most popular Mother's Day gift. We also learned a little bit about what mothers don't like, which we can talk about, which was an interesting topic. But, you know, the overarching theme was that really that personalized emotional connection was super important when it comes to Mother's Day gift giving.

1:13:42 Peter

Now, Marcus, did the mothers respond differently to you and your research than they did to us, when we give a gift?

1:13:48 Marcus

That's access, right? I think if we're honest, which is, uh, really important, I think one thing that Vistaprint survey really showed was that, um, a lot of mothers, almost half said that they, um, admitted to having regifted a present or pretended to like one when they receive it a gift. And I think that really shows the importance of choosing a gift that has that personal connection, perhaps.

1:14:09 Peter

So maybe we probably don't know as mothers as well as we should, or perhaps been as thoughtful as we should.

1:14:14 Marcus

Well, that could be the answer. But also, I think because little kids in particular, I think we've all been there. I remember my own Mum, poorly received when I was in primary school, some beautiful pottery that may not have been the prettiest, and I'm sure she had to feign a look of absolute love and regard for that little piece of pottery that she still has. So I think we've all been there. You can understand why some mums have to pretend, but certainly, you know, as adults giving... my Mum a present. Now, I probably have no excuse to not make sure it's her, to make sure it's really emotionally connected and something she's going to want.

1:14:47 Peter

And who doesn't love that cute little artwork that we once did?

1:14:49 Marcus

That's right, that's right. Absolutely. I can imagine the look on Mum's face thinking, Last piece of artwork to put on the fridge for Mother's Day.

1:14:55 Peter

Well, we're getting off topic a bit, but like in ten, 20, 50 years time, they might look back on it more fondly. But, that's a topic for another day. What about some of the gifts that people do give? I mean, a couple that kind of stood out to me. I thought, Oh, I'm not sure that's very appropriate. Things like... weight loss kits.

1:15:12 Marcus

Yeah. Look, there's this really showed that the one thing mums or the things Mum does not want to receive are cleaning products or weight loss products, as you can imagine. And really, that's probably leads into this whole regifting question and comment. But really, the survey showed that practicality can backfire if there's not that personal connection behind the gift. And what's really important is that the present is personal and heartfelt.

1:15:35 Peter

So what about some ideas for what we can give? I mean, it might be a little late, but maybe an early... night for next year, or...

1:15:43 Marcus

Absolutely.

1:15:43 Peter

A belated Mother's Day gift.

1:15:45 Marcus

Look, completely so the survey really showed us that personalised gifts are really important, and a quarter of mums said that they'd love to receive something almost pretty much handmade. And Vistaprint got a range of things that would fit in that category. The survey actually also said, I should say that it's not a lot of money. You don't need to have a lot of money to make mum happy. The gifts under $50 are perfectly fine. So, you know, we've got a lot of things in at Vistaprint to make sure that there's some good products in that range that are, you know, very cheap for kids to buy their mum, you know, things from custom photo mugs and notebooks to cushions and greeting cards are right up there in terms of that personalised gifting. 

And if you are going to give a gift voucher, which we know is a really common present, one way to make it much more personal is to to put a handwritten card or a handmade card with a photo on the front of it, and put that gift voucher inside just to elevate the... personalisation and the emotional connection of that present.

1:16:37 Peter

That's a great idea, isn't it? Because like a gift voucher is nice. But I mean, you know, it's a gift voucher. So, you know, you could have handed over that money in cash if you were into getting cash. So... that that personal sort of impact can... be really important as well.

1:16:50 Marcus

Yeah. That's right. Nothing wrong with the gift voucher. That can be really good reasons for them. And we know some mums can be very hard to buy for or perhaps go to a favourite store, in which case you wanted to go in and and choose something she really likes. But um, certainly how to elevate that and make it more personal through the card that goes in is a lovely touch to to really show that your you're thinking and appreciating what your mum does for you.

1:17:10 Peter

Mark over the last couple of years, maybe longer now, we've heard about the cost of living. Do you think that might have had any impact on your research?

1:17:17 Marcus

Oh, look, I think, you know, it may very well have. And I feel like, you know, the insight that... I spent a lot of money is to be... spent is really key. But also, you know, there were several really showed that the best gifts don't always come in wrapping paper. And it can really be a heartfelt thank you. Or just recognising and appreciating your mum and spending time with them. You know, 60% of mums said spending time is enough. And I think that's really important. And again, it really isn't about that amount of money you spend. It's that the connection and if you can spend time with them, do so even in addition to giving them a small present.

1:17:52 Peter

I guess, depending on a mother's individual circumstances. I mean, you know, again, maybe a little bit off topic, but we do hear about what... an important or a deleterious role things like loneliness can have on people's health. 

1:18:05 Marcus

Yeah. That's right. I think that, you know, especially for people with older mums and, yeah, the kids are older themselves, like myself, you know, the the fact that you really want to spend time with your mum at the time is the most important gift. And I think that... mums really cherish that far more than a physical present. So I really feel like it's a, that's an important way of showing your emotional connection, if you're able to see and spend time with your mum, and...

1:18:26 Peter

Especially, I guess, you know, these days, young, younger people tend to be prepared to travel a lot more as far as employment opportunities go, advancing their careers. So yeah, if you're in another state and make a special effort to to get home for... Mother's Day, that would have a huge impact as well. 

1:18:42 Marcus

Yeah. Getting home or even a phone call, you know.

1:18:44 Peter

Yeah.

1:18:45 Marcus

That really long get a cup of tea and have a great phone chat or, you know, with modern tech, get a FaceTime or a Zoom going and actually see them face to face. You're not able to visit them in person. And that goes a long way to to making a very memorable Mother's Day for your mum.

1:18:58 Peter

Rather than just sending a text.

1:18:59 Marcus

That's right, that's right.

1:19:01 Peter

Hey, Marcus, you've got an interesting kind of backstory. Tell us about some of the not for profit work that you do. How did that kind of come about?

1:19:07 Marcus

Oh, look, I've been involved in a couple of... interesting boards and Not For Profits over the last few years, and really enjoy that. I'm working in a lot in foreign... in foreign poverty prevention and health, which has been really fascinating - just kind of using my, you know, my spare time, in addition to my amazing job at Vistaprint, working on some boards and giving back to the community that way, which has been a wonderful experience.

1:19:30 Peter

Where did that kind of motivation for that come from? Sort of, what was it from your mum?

1:19:36 Marcus

Oh, look, I'd like to think that definitely the compassion that I'd like to contribute. I attribute that to my Mum for sure. And the... way she and my... Dad raised me. I think that's important. And also the fact that, you know, this different we really are, you know, living, living our values and wanting to contribute to the community in which we... operate in and... living living those values and helping them, you know, with some of the companies that I've been involved in and helped me commerce perspective, some just giving general leadership advice, as you navigate the interesting world of global health. So it's been a fascinating journey and one I really enjoyed being part of.

1:20:08 Peter

Well, I know we've just had the election and, you know, yeah, a lot of people are doing it tough in Australia, but often by comparison we haven't got it. Too bad, I guess. And you've probably seen an experience that the things that can happen that aren't good in other areas of the world.

1:20:23 Marcus

Yeah, absolutely. You know, a variety of interesting causes, from tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea to things that have been involved in and... have worked with, the boards I've been involved in and worked on. So definitely I think we are the lucky country. And it's times like these on Mother's Day where you really appreciative for what you have. An... you know, if you were fortunate to be able to give presents to see our mums and... live in such a lucky country, I feel like that... definitely resonates at Mother's Day and all the important days of the year where family comes together.

1:20:50 Peter

And without wishing to make it too political, obviously, some of the boards that you serve on kind of report to government or have that government connection as well. So yeah, that can make a real impact as well, rather than, you know, I, I'm doing this great work, but sort of getting the message across to... governments that can kind of maybe amplify the work that you do as well. 

1:21:08 Marcus

Yeah. Look at the boards I'm on, and independent of government, but they certainly get a little bit involved. One of them in... foreign aid, which is, ou know, very much, it depends on the government policy at the time. So there's definitely a political element of it, but they are separated from government. But certainly, interesting times, I think globally for us all, as we all know, with a lot going on, a lot of change in the world from the political scene.

1:21:31 Peter

Yes, maybe some not for the better, but we might leave that there for today. And Marcus, if people do want to find out more, maybe some ideas for Mother's Day, as I say, maybe get in early for for next year, or maybe make it a special Mother's Day sometime next week, if the moment has gone for this particular time... where can we find out more? You got a website?

1:21:49 Marcus

Yes, absolutely. We've released a dedicated Mother's Day gift guide, and it's got lots of great personalised options, from custom photo mugs and notebooks to cushions and cards. And the best thing to do is visit Vistaprint dot com dot AU and you'll see all that inspiration and more importantly, some some great present ideas that are thoughtful, affordable and mum-approved.

1:22:09 Peter

Well, the research proves it.

1:22:10 Marcus

That's right, that's right.

1:22:11 Peter

And for all ages. All ages of children. All ages of mothers.

1:22:15 Marcus

Absolutely. That's you have got a range of... great prizes there where you can put some photos on it and really bring the... findings from that research to life about creating gifts with strong emotional connection.

1:22:26 Peter

It's good to talk to you. Keep up the good work, both with the Vistaprint, but also in the not for profit area that you're doing. That's obviously really, really important. We appreciate you spending some time. And as I mentioned at the beginning, to all the mothers, I hope they have a great day tomorrow and hope we all support them in the way that we should.

1:22:40 Marcus

Thanks very much. Great to chat.

1:22:42 Peter

That's Marcus, the CEO for Vistaprint. 

Two bits of advice for the Australian Liberal Party. If anyone cares or cares about my opinion, I hope they appoint Sussan Ley as their leader. And please stop talking about John Howard and his values. That was 20 years ago since he won an election. 

Alright, a couple of quotes before we go. Here's one from Darren who says from Charles Darwin... It's not the strongest species that survives, nor is it the most intelligent, but the one that can adjust best to its environment. Thank you, Darren, for your quote. And a headline that Steve saw from last Sunday's papers. It simply said... Albo Easy. So thanks very much, Steve, for contributing that. 

Birthdays before we go. Misha [?} having a birthday, a champion badminton player from Australia. Happy birthday to you Misha. Also Sam Hardy, the triathlete and also middle distance runner and West Coast Eagles supporter. We're keeping that a bit quiet. Happy birthday to you, Sam. And Michael [?Roeger] having a birthday. That champion marathon runner and middle distance runner from Australia as well - the unofficial or maybe official Mayor of Langhorne Creek where they grow beautiful grapes for wonderful wines. Vines. It's a really lovely job, says he. The teetotaller, speaking about teetotallers. 

Sam Rickard, thanks so much for your help. Pam Green, thanks so much for yours. And coming up very soon, if you're listening through 1197 AM, Vicki Cousins with Australian Geographics. A very lucky win by the Eagles last week over the Magpies. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers tomorrow. Hope you have a great day. If it's particularly difficult this year our thoughts are very much with you as well. Be kind to yourselves, be thoughtful and look out for others. All being well, et's link back at the same time next week. On Vision Australia Radio and the Reading Radio Network, this is Leisure Link.