Kirsten the Soprano and Kimba the SED

00:10 S1

On Vision Australia radio. You're listening to the Seattle show with me, your host, Harriet Moffatt. Today I'm joined by seeing Isaac's handler, Kirsten Busby. We're going to talk about her busy life with seeing other Kimba their partnership, and hear about the interesting word world of an operatic soprano. If you like music, seeing Eye dogs, or both. Stay tuned for this episode and to hear about how this duet performs. Okay, that was potentially a bit of a bad pun, but I hope you'll forgive me and listen for this great interview with Kirsten. Hi, Carson. Thank you for joining me on the show today. Hello. Could you please start by introducing yourself? You know, what do you do? Do you have any hobbies and interests?

01:04 S2

Hi, I'm Kirsten Busby, and I just want to kind of jobs, if you would like to think about it that way. So I'm an operatic soprano, but when I'm not singing at night time during the day, I actually work as proofreader for Vision Australia. Um, beyond that, well, when I get a chance, hobbies are reading, catching up on sleep that I didn't get because of all the muscles, um, and generally just relaxing.

01:37 S1

Is, is the opera kind of pretty much most nights or, you know, you have some sort of performance or rehearsals or practice and then really then you are working basically, you know, almost two full time jobs.

01:51 S2

Uh, yeah. So at the moment I'm in a phase, um, which I do not recommend for the faint of heart, which is I'm currently doing five operas at once, which is a lot. So I'm six days a week with that and then, thank goodness, my other jobs three days a week. So if I time it right, I get at least one day off, but not at the moment.

02:14 S1

Oh my gosh, I think you might need to buy shares in coffee. If you're if you're a caffeine drinker, I feel like that's probably what's needed.

02:24 S2

I think I actually might need to do that because honestly, I think I'm too far gone beyond that.

02:31 S1

Oh my goodness me. And so yeah, really after that, it it is very much a case of kind of just relaxing. I suppose you don't have too much downtime.

02:40 S2

No, I, I really don't like I suppose now because one of the shows that I'm doing is performing this month, in March that I, um, actually get some days off, but. How long that'll last, I don't know. Yeah.

02:55 S1

Before the next one comes along.

02:57 S2

Mhm. I'm not going up to five again though. I think there is a good number.

03:02 S1

It's good I suppose it's good to know your, your limits. And three already feels like quite a large number if you ask me. Mhm.

03:10 S2

Yeah. So yeah I would agree.

03:13 S1

Not not. Yeah. Because it's not not just kind of doing the performances but it's all of the prep and being able to kind of get there, then memorize all the music. And um I'm guessing on these ones as well. You've got, you know, stage directions and all that type of stuff to think about and remember to. Wow.

03:28 S2

I absolutely do love it. But at the same time, it also does make my brain go very as I put it sideways.

03:36 S1

So you are also a seeing handler. Could you please introduce your seeing eye dog and tell us how long you've been working together?

03:43 S2

So my seeing eye dog is named Kimba. She is a two year old female golden lion and and to put her personality in a brief summary, I would say she can be quite crazy at times, but she is very sweet.

04:04 S1

Do you think that that's like something that you'd also describe yourself as? Sometimes I feel like when people say, oh, that my senior dog is a bit like is a bit, you know, hectic or crazy. They often also admit to being that is that, you know, something that you'd agree with or.

04:17 S2

No, I suppose I would slightly admit to the, um, craziness, but luckily for me, her crazy allows her to keep up with my schedule.

04:28 S1

So the matching process worked in that way.

04:30 S2

Yeah, it really did. It really, really did. Cause one of Kimball's favorite activities I should mention is she loves to run, which I don't, but it works very well because, um, to describe it for your listeners, especially for those who aren't Sydney based, we have a big train station that's called Central Station and it's huge. There's 25 train platforms. Plus, I think later on this year there will be two more Metro train platforms. So it's massive. And um, sometimes to get from one rehearsal, we have rehearsals in Sydney and Newcastle. So we have to go through Central Station and it'll be like say five past and the train's leaving at quarter past. We get up the elevator, it's like seven minutes past, so you don't have a lot of time to get from platform 12, which is the end of the intercity concourse to, uh, usually platform 7 or 8, which is where the Newcastle train leaves from. So sometimes I'll turn around to Canberra. Go. All right, Kimba, we're not missing this train. And this dog will literally run with me so we can catch the train streaking across central Station into the city concourse.

05:42 S1

And is she like, is she still kind of doing obstacle avoidance like that? Yeah. I mean, wow, that's quite impressive. If so, she just blows up. It's like fun and speed.

05:53 S2

Straight back up.

05:54 S1

Again. Yeah. She's like, okay, we're going to switch gears now. Um, yeah. So keep up please. Yes. Pretty much. So how long have you been a dog guide handler for? Is she your first dog?

06:08 S2

Uh, so, no, Kimber is not my first dog, but she is my first from seeing eye dogs. I had a guide dogs dog by the name of Violet before her, and I was first matched with Violet in 2016, November. So just over seven years, I've been a dog handler.

06:26 S1

If you kind of, um, I suppose, look back on it. Was there anything that made you, you know, decide specifically to become, um, a dog guide user and I guess, or, and or, like, reapply or apply for another dog once you realize that Violet was ready to retire.

06:45 S2

Um, so I'm actually going to go back and start with Violet because I'm actually quite a lot younger than most think. And I was still in year 11 when I was, I was matched with Violet. So I that time I had two options. I either became a dog guide handler then. Or I waited 3 to 4 years because we were about to do an interstate move. So we sort of had that option of, well, we've got one more year in Canberra. Do we match you now or do you wait a good 4 or 5 years before? You go. To be matched with your first dog. So that was a decision we made to match me whilst I was still in Canberra. And while I still knew everything so I'd still have. The mobility and confidence that when it came to going to uni, I was just able to go in and do that. And then.

07:46 S1

And was you in Canberra or was that when, you know.

07:49 S2

That was in Newcastle? Oh, right. So my parents and the rest of my family, we all did an interstate move at that point. Just before I started uni. So I suppose my parents had to make that choice. Well, do we give you that independence now or do we wait? And that was a hard thing because of course, being under 18, there's all the extra things you have to go through being still under age. Rot means that you can't get health insurance for doggos, but that's a whole nother kettle of fish. It would take a whole nother podcast.

08:24 S1

But but I suppose from your point of view, kind of going into it with the most confidence possible, going into uni with the most confidence possible. You know, I think, you know, if you if it's something that you wanted, you know, navigating uni with the cane would be quite challenging. I mean, I'm sure with the dog too, but um.

08:40 S2

It was less challenging having Violet do it than it was with the cane, because what ended up happening was that my uni campus, there was sort of two buildings, but there were also ends of a street. So you had to basically walk up the street to get to the uni campus. Yeah. Which made things be interesting. But then as I got more into my degree and then started my diploma, I was going across two sort of campuses. So it meant learning all of that and doing one of the other campuses with the cane would have been almost impossible. Once Violet was sick and I had to do it and oh, that was not easy.

09:26 S1

So they're kind of solidified in your mind why you're happy to continue with with dogs.

09:33 S2

That and at that point when Violet was due to retire was, well for me just before I moved to Sydney from Newcastle. So I was having to learn everything on a cane, which it wasn't like I wouldn't have done anyway, but at the same time. And being a full time cane user for me, especially since I have other underlying conditions. It made me very, very tired and it meant that I was just barely able to do anything. Like I'd get to a certain point in the week and I would just crash. I just. I could not make plans.

10:11 S1

Yeah. And I suppose for some people they say like the kind of cane is the quite mentally intensive to use, especially in busier environments.

10:20 S2

Yes, I would agree with that.

10:23 S1

So what do you like about being a dog handler?

10:26 S2

I suppose the, um, confidence. It gives me a new environment because as a senior, I get thrown into new environments all the time. And their environments, which I may come back to, but it may be a year or more since I've been there. Like I know, next month I have to go back to a place, and I haven't been there since August last year. So it's not. And these dogs have honestly memories like a steel trap. I can take them to somewhere once and then they'll know, okay, this is where I want to go. This is where I have to take my mom. And it's just little things like that that like it could be six months or a year between something. And then we're coming back. Like, I remember last year in November, we'd gone back to a place that we hadn't been to since July and came up. We go to the staircase, we go down, we go to the right, we go straight to the back, right hand corner. That's our corner.

11:23 S1

Wow. And and you just kind of think, how do you know that? Like, how do you remember of all the places that we've been to in the last number of months? Yeah, I think that sticks in your mind.

11:33 S2

I know it's it's like, how do you remember it when I barely do? I'm still getting verbal instructions here and you are dragging me off leaving the support worker behind.

11:46 S1

So I come. She's like, come on, mate, I've got this, you know, just.

11:49 S2

Yep, yep.

11:50 S1

Okay. So what are your favorite things about Kemba. And I know we kind of briefly mentioned probably the lifestyle thing. But other than that why do you think you might have been matched.

12:02 S2

I think her adaptability would be the biggest one where because I've virtually got no sight and I get thrown into new environments all the time, she's just here, like, okay, here I am. I'm going to figure this out. We'll get there. It'll be fine. Nothing to worry about here, mom. Yeah. And like, you can throw her into just about any situation and she'll come out the other side, tail wagging, going, all right, next challenge, please. And that's the biggest thing that when I went into this process and I requested a dog, I said, look, I really need a dog that is adaptable and that can be thrown into situations with minimal support. Because I do not have enough sight to give that dog the support. It's probably going to need if it needs it. So, like my previous girl, if it came to throwing herself into a new situation where she knew I wasn't going to be able to support her. Then she'd be like, okay, here we go. Let me just figure this out with you. We're good now. Cool. Okay, we've made it to the other end. Easy. I'll just go sleep. So I suppose it's not fazed that I really like about her.

13:15 S1

So you may not, I suppose, have a particularly, um, typical, uh, typical day because it sounds like you've got quite a lot of variety. But if you're going to describe a supposedly kind of typical day or typical week of, um, you and Kimba, what would that be?

13:30 S2

I suppose a typical day I'm just going to go based on at the moment. So typical day for us would be getting up at whatever time we get up and of course doing all of our usual morning things. And then we've even got. Um, sometimes we got Jim got work or we've got rehearsal. So it really depends on what the day looks like. For us, but most of our activities are. Yeah, gym work, rehearsal appointments. You name it, probably do it.

14:06 S1

Hi. So? So. Yeah. That really. So really, just a bit of everything. Yeah. As required. There's. Does she attend rehearsals and performances that you do. And how does she kind of find the music. Is she, you know, kind of interested or, or I guess maybe even used to it now.

14:24 S2

Um, I would say when I first started working with her, especially, um, being soprano, she was very like, what are you doing? Like. And because I'm not exactly quiet. None of us opera singers really, are we? We know how to predict. And especially when we go up quite high. It's quite different for a dog. Like they'll look and they'll go. I don't know whether I like that. But I think now she's gotten very used to it. Um, she does attend pretty much all my rehearsals. Unless, of course, she's gone for a walk. Well, I've had singing lessons, got worn out and not moved from her crate. Then I did leave her home just late. But, um. She's. I think she got quite used to it quite quickly, because her first rehearsal was a bit of a baptism of fire. It was a bunch of opera singers at full forte, which is our really quite loud dynamic and a conductor jumping on floorboards, which for a 16 month old puppy, which was when I got her, is, oh, it's a little overwhelming. So we kind of took a little bit longer at break so she could just recover. So for her now, the singing side of it's normal. As for performances, sometimes we have a collapsible crate that she'll never go in if she's not on the stage or some shows, we will bring her on the stage. It really just depends. Like I know one show, she'll probably go on for one half when I'm performing, but she won't go on for the other half. There'll be a couple where she won't go on at all. And there is one where she has been requested to go on. And I'm not upset about it, especially for the instrumentation in the last scene.

16:20 S1

Interesting. What's the kind of deciding factor, whether it's a yay or nay?

16:26 S2

That's really up to the directors. Um, sometimes I may try and bring her close so that way she can see, um, but in the show where I would have had to do that, I now don't have to because they've requested her on stage. Kim has not done too much on stage because we actually learnt towards the end of Violet's career that, um, people looked at her on stage, especially if I was doing solo performance more than, um, actually listening to what I was doing.

16:59 S1

Yeah, because, well, I wondered if you had any like, um, say like any performances where there were animals in the within, like the realm of the story. So, like, you know, if there's any operas where there's a dog in the, um, narrative.

17:14 S2

I wouldn't say like there's a dog in the narrative with this one, but given its setting, I'm sure somebody bought the dog. Um, but, um, to keep it as non dark as possible because it gets pretty dark. Yeah. Um, basically this upper set back in, um, French Revolution. Um, at the opera, there's just a whole bunch of people who don't end up getting out of things very well. No, they don't make it.

17:51 S1

Yeah.

17:52 S2

They do not make it. So and like, just based on its historical context, we're like, surely somebody bought the dog.

18:05 S1

Yeah. The the opera is not necessarily known for, um, light and breezy and happy endings from all life. From all life. Um.

18:15 S2

Sullivan. That's Gilbert and Sullivan level or, um, Mozart's in another one if you don't want to watch people dying. Operas.

18:23 S1

Yeah. So that's slightly lighter. To be fair, that's not all. I mean, and do you have a particular type that you perform within that genre?

18:30 S2

Uh, the person who's still alive at the end.

18:34 S1

Ah, ideal. Yes. That that does sound like a good tip. That's a good, uh, good one.

18:41 S2

Yeah. No, I'm out of everyone. Um, because I sort of went semi-professional at the beginning of last year, and all my friends still do not know how I've managed to go this long without having a character not make it.

18:56 S1

Yeah, well, so you've not. You've never been killed off in an opera? No.

19:00 S2

Not yet.

19:01 S1

That is actually very impressive. I was thinking like, oh, you know, it's it's maybe, you know, say if you've done 20 performances, you know, only two of them have died or like, only four of them died, and that would still be very impressive. None.

19:13 S2

None.

19:14 S1

Zero. Maybe you just have to likeable a face that just decided, like, no, we can't kill her off. It would just be too sad, you know? Like, no, no.

19:23 S2

But no, um, it's really funny. It's now a running joke between a friend and I that, um. I haven't quite graduated to full operatic soprano yet because I haven't actually died.

19:34 S1

Oh, no, I think. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Go on.

19:39 S2

It's fairly normal for soprano characters to end up.

19:44 S1

Because they're kind of the heroine.

19:46 S2

Yeah. Oh, they've come down with something.

19:50 S1

Right? That makes sense. So do you have? Have you had any kind of particular best outings with Kimball that you would like to tell us about?

19:59 S2

Oh, I. Oh, what are some of the best ones we've had? We've had a few. Um. That's a hard one because we've had quite a lot. But I think the ones where like. We've just been able to enjoy ourselves a lot when we've actually been on stage together. That's been a good one.

20:23 S1

Being able to be kind of up there performing together is quite special.

20:27 S2

Yeah it is. It is. So even if she doesn't go on stage, if she's there, even side stage. It's actually really sweet when, like, she just comes and gets me and like, we're just we're just there together. But it also explains a lot to the audience because of course, when I don't have Kimble, it's a bit like I have to be guided. So I'm using a cane and it's like, not everyone might know.

20:55 S1

What that means.

20:57 S2

Yeah, they might go, oh, you know, this, that and the other. You walk out there with a seeing eye dog. It's like, oh. Okay.

21:07 S1

And that's why that character had a white cane that didn't quite look like it fitted fit in within the time period of the opera.

21:14 S2

Yeah. Yeah. So. Or like that's why that character had to be, um, guided because she actually couldn't see.

21:24 S1

Yeah. How interesting. So do you have any kind of exciting, um, you know, plans for the future or trips that you'd like to do together?

21:33 S2

Oh, I think, um, I'd really like to take, um, Kimber sort of traveling more so, like, I suppose we're starting to. Now, I do remember we've recently just come back from a trip to Melbourne, where I was performing at, like, a charity event. Um, finish that. Come back. And I suppose I'd love to take her on more trips around the place on a plane.

21:59 S1

How was the first flight then that you took?

22:02 S2

Oh, so that was to Brisbane. And she was really, really good. I mean, the first time I did give her carrots just to say, yes, this is what I want. Yeah. The second time I forgot the carrots, we gave her treats. And then the last time we flew, which was to Melbourne, I was like, okay, you barely even woke up the treat last time. Let's see how you go. And she just didn't even like up. Amazing nap time.

22:26 S1

So I suppose that really gives you the confidence that, you know, you can do that traveling, even if, you know the plane trips maybe a little bit longer, you know, Western Australia, you probably quite fine. Yeah.

22:37 S2

I don't think I'd have a problem flying home to Perth at all.

22:40 S1

So are there any funny memories or stories that you'd like to share?

22:46 S2

And one funny one is, um. I don't know how she discovered this, but at work, we've got fencing that splits the dog running from the ramp, and it's got like, sort of gaps in it. But unbeknownst to us, until she actually managed to do this, these gaps are just big enough that Kimba can slip through.

23:10 S1

Oh, and she's not exactly like a tiny puppy. No she's not.

23:17 S2

That's the thing.

23:18 S1

So? So she's freed herself, basically.

23:21 S2

She basically, um. Because I told her to wait, and she'd wait for a little bit, and then she'd be like. But I want to play. So next thing I know, she'd be on the dog run with the other dog because she'd slipped her way through the fence.

23:36 S1

You monkey.

23:40 S2

Unfortunately. Unfortunately for us, I think she's now caught some of the other dogs to do that too.

23:49 S1

Ah, so one smart one has led the rest of them astray. She's like the, um.

23:53 S2

Yeah, yeah.

23:55 S1

The cheeky sheep that the others will now follow.

23:59 S2

Uh, yes.

24:01 S1

I feel like, you know, I feel like Fusion's really property team might have, uh, have a bit of work to do then, really, don't they?

24:09 S2

Yeah. Um. Right. Because. Yeah, like, all the other ones you do is someone will come in and say hello to her and she'll just immediately roll straight onto her back.

24:22 S1

And we here I am.

24:27 S2

And it's like, oh, but yes. No, I definitely think, um, yes, the fence is probably the funniest one.

24:35 S1

So just to kind of finish off, is there anything that you would, um, like to share with kind of donors, volunteers or supporters of sing idols or even just the general public?

24:45 S2

Um. So I think we missed out the donors and volunteers. I just want to say, um, thank you for supporting seeing our dogs and the work that they do. Because if it isn't for all of you, people like myself wouldn't have these crazy but sweet puppies that we have. And for the general public. He's been one of the dogs around. We just don't distract it. The amount of times I get, like, the kissing sound or the reach down and pat, it's just like, I'm just. I'm just trying to get to where I'm going. I don't need my dog distracted right now.

25:24 S1

Please, just just need to be safe. Just need to arrive at my desk.

25:28 S2

I just I'd just like to get there in one piece, if that's okay.

25:34 S1

Well, that's a really good message. And I think anyone who's kind of. Yeah, probably seeing you guys go across your station. It's, um, it's really good for them to be aware that, you know, it's it's not an appropriate time to, um, to try and distract the dog.

25:48 S2

Yeah. No, especially not when we're streaking between platform 12 and platform eight, because we really do need to catch train.

25:54 S1

We've got we've got busy lives to lead, and it's, uh. And it's time to time. We don't feel.

26:00 S2

Like waiting another hour for a train.

26:04 S1

No, no, no, the missing a train is a special kind of sad, sad disappointment.

26:11 S2

Oh, missing the bus. Oh, sorry. Equally sad.

26:15 S1

Yeah. I mean and especially. Yeah. And like you said, it's just a timetable dependent. If you're waiting for longer than like 20 minutes, it starts to kind of make you lose your mind just a little bit if you ask me. Yeah.

26:26 S2

Yeah it does.

26:29 S1

Well thank you so much for coming on the show and talking, um, a bit about your life.

26:34 S2

That's all right. And thank you for having this.

26:41 S1

You've been listening to the Seeing Auto Show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Kirsten, talking about the life of a single handler, and what it means to have a single dog as an operatic soprano. If you're blind, or have low vision and would like to find out if a single dog or dog guide mobility is right for you, please give our friendly team a call on 1800 037 773. That number again 1800 037 773 or email us at info Asda for you to chat with a member of our team. We are really happy to talk all things eligibility and assessment with you. So if you're interested in a whether a single dog is helpful, just give us a call. No obligation. We are also on the lookout for amazing volunteers to take a puppy into their home again. That program is our Puppy Carer volunteering program for 6 to 12 months, so you can have the puppy the full time or half of that journey, which is pretty cool. So if you are in parts of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, we're looking for volunteers. All of the information about that program is available on our website at C Division Australia. Org and we would encourage you to attend an information session where you can find out all about puppy caring. If you are keen on finding out more about seeing eye dogs, the work we do, or how you can help, you can also head to that website at Cedar Vision Australia. Org or don't forget to follow us on social such as Instagram and Facebook for more great seeing eye dog and dog puppy content. Thank you for listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show and I hope you have a great week!