Sport, health, books, kicks, flicks, ticks and specs

00:32 S1

Hi, I'm Vanessa Lowe, two-time Paralympic gold medallist. And you're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco, on the Vision Australia Radio network.

01:05 S2

It's just gone 5:00 and a very warm and friendly Welcome to Leisure link here on Vision Australia Radio 1197AM in Adelaide, online at via radio.org, via Radio Digital in Darwin, via Radio Digital in Adelaide, through the TuneIn radio app - look for Vista Australia, Radio Adelaide, maybe try the Community Radio Plus app. Also our friends listening through 3.9 FM in Esperance in Western Australia - and now, thanks to the Disability Media Australia network, also on the Powerd website, p-o-w-e-r-d. Thank you so much for your invitation to join us. It's a pleasure. It's a privilege. We're very humbled to be here. Let's hope it's a long and happy relationship. This program comes to you from Kaurna land, coming to you very, very shortly. 

We'll meet Vanessa Lowe OAM, two time Paralympic gold medallist, competed in Paris under different circumstances. We'll find out about that Alice Coote will join us, the kicker of the year. What was Alex's day at the grand final like at the MCG. We'll find out shortly. Antonio Iannella will join us to talk about his book about to be released, Saigon Siren A story of recovery and Resilience after having a stroke. David Mitchell, our health commentator, will join us to talk about gum health. How can we make our teeth gums our mouth better? Belinda Hellyer will join us from Brewed by Belinda - the brew that is true. Changing our drinking habits with the changing of the season. Belinda will tell us about that. 

Ryan Goodwin will join us from the Focus on Ability Film Festival. Straight off the red carpet. How did that go? We'll also catch up with Doctor Martin Perkins talking about tick paralysis. Something for your cat and dog and you to be on the lookout for and from Specsavers. We'll also be joined by Karl Shaw, talking about the colour of your eye and how that may impact upon damage from the sun. 

As well, I'm absolutely delighted to welcome to the program two times Paralympic gold medallist Vanessa Lowe. And Vanessa, lovely to meet you. Thank you for your time.

03:14 S1

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to to be here today. Yeah.

03:18 S2

Well what was Paris like? It's a bit different, I guess, compared to other Paralympic Games you've been to for years, wasn't it?

03:23 S1

Well, it was my first games as a mom, which has definitely made it a lot different. But I feel like this being my fourth games, like every games, was just so different. Paris was really special in the way that it was just... in the city. And that's just the way it felt like being in Paris, I think. But yeah, for me, being there as a mum was very special.

03:44 S2

But just... you competed in Tokyo. Were you always going to try and have a baby and then try and come back? Was that always in your planning?

03:50 S1

I don't really, to be honest. Like, I wasn't sure. I think growing up, like, I wasn't sure if I ever was going to have a family. Like, I wasn't sure if I wanted kids. And I think it got to that week after Tokyo and we all had to go through quarantine, and my husband and I were lucky enough to do quarantine together, and we were just having that chat, like, Are we ready to start a family? Do we want a family? And we decided, you know what? Instead of trying to have a bar, maybe let's try to just not have a baby. And ten months later we had Mateo. So... that worked out great.

04:23 S2

Right? Okay, maybe that can work in sport as well. Maybe you can try too hard.

04:27 S1

Maybe. I think sometimes we can make all these plans. I think it's important just to go with the flow and just go with, you know, what's there and what's ready to to be part of your life. And I think that's how I treated the return to sport as well. Like, I knew that I still loved this sport, and I still had in mind that I might want to return back to competing. But I wasn't all set on it. Like, I felt like I was going to go with the flow and see how parenthood was treating us and how I was going to feel after not sleeping for six months and wanted to compete.

05:00 S2

Sometimes we hear that, you know, it can be kind of be a good thing. It's kind of, well, I know I'm making sound a bit frivolous, but it can be a bit of a distraction. But, you know, rather than sort of being singly or single mindedness on competing in sport, like to have a kind of a bit of a distraction can actually help in some peculiar way.

05:19 S1

I think, being in this career for now, 16 years. I think it's like it is really important to find that balance. And I think we all go through these different phases in sport. Like first you're the youngster and everything is exciting and then you have these games where it's really dialed in and where sport is the one and only priority and like everything else, takes a back seat. And I think that was like really for me. But then you realise that's just not sustainable and that you can't, you know, just do sport. Like you have to have a balance with having friends and family and like dedicating some aspects of your life to other things. 

So I think that's where we were leading into Tokyo. We tried to find that balance and, um, leading into Paris. Obviously, that balance was a family and a young child. So that was a really good thing for me. And I feel like it put a lot of things in perspective, and it really allowed me to enjoy sport for what it is like. I love it, but it's not everything. And I think that is a really good thing.

06:15 S2

It's a great way to put it. But you were born and grew up in Germany and then you came to Australia. Can I ask what brought you to Australia? 

06:22 S1

My now husband brought me to Australia. So there's love... we met competing in 2013, and we were doing a long distance relationship for a number of years. And then after the games in Rio, we decided that one of us had to relocate and we picked some straws and I picked the shorter one, which I believe was the shorter one. But, I decided to move here and give it a go. And yeah, we just trialled to see if this was going to work out and and it did. And fast forward almost. What's that eight years now. Yeah, Australia is home and I love it here. I'm Australian and... yeah, I love being part of this Australian Paralympic family.

07:01 S2

And Australia benefits from it.

07:03 S1

Yeah, it's funny because like my husband kept saying like he kept the... mental quota up because like, in London and in Rio he medalled. But then he didn't in Tokyo. But he brought me over to the good side and I kept the medal quota going for the Ryan family.

07:18 S2

So fantastic. Now, if you don't mind me asking, is Scott also your coach?

07:25 S1

That's right. Yes. So after after Tokyo, he decided he wanted to step away from competing himself. But when we were brainstorming how we were going to continue on this journey, I knew that I needed to make some changes to find that balance for myself. And I think that was kind of like the the option that kind of came up, that Scott might actually step in as my coach, which would also allow him to have like a bit of a smoother transition from being an athlete and to, yeah, retiring from competing. So I think it was a really great transition for him, and it was really great for me, because that meant that I could actually have someone there with me that understands me as a person and understands kind of like, the lifestyle that we want to live and... find a way to combine the both.

08:06 S2

Without being too personal, or there's sometimes a bit of... challenging times as far as that sort of delineation line between husband and wife and coach and athlete...

08:15 S1

Actually not at all. Like we were not saying worried about it, but like mixing like private and work can be challenging. But I think because our relationship was so founded on on friendship and, and that trust because we had that long distance relationship a long time. I think that's why it really worked. And I think we approached it very differently, like it was it was a team work, like it was never, like he was the boss and I had to do what he said. It always, like, we tried to brainstorm to get the best outcome, like we both wanted the same thing. Right? So it is really easy to say, you know what, there are certain things I know and there are certain things he knows, and we're trying to find a way to get the both the best out of both worlds.

08:53 S2

This is the backstory to athletes. It's always fascinating. And, you know, sometimes it's tragedy that kind of leads to triumph as well. You had a train accident when you were, what, about 15 or 16?

09:03 S1

That's right. Yeah. I lost both of my legs in a train accident when I was... 15, a month after my 16th birthday. And I keep saying, like, the most incredible things in life happen from the hardest, modest aspects in life like this really shaped my life in a way I never imagined it being. And... it's now like almost 20 years ago, which is crazy to think. But... yeah, my life wouldn't be the way that it... is now. And it's perfect the way that it is, if it wasn't for the hardship.

09:32 S2

Yeah, sometimes we just don't know why these things happen. But they do happen and we've got to get on with it afterwards. What about choosing a long jump and sprinting? Was that kind of a natural thing because you played a bit of sport before your accident?

09:44 S1

Yeah, it wasn't that all, all that natural... I think growing up I did basically every sport under the sun. But I really loved running and I was more like a long distance runner focusing on, like, being out and about cross-country. And I don't think I was that young kid that grew up with a dream of being at the Olympics. Like, I don't think I ever thought I was going to be an athlete. I was going to compete. But when I lost my legs, I think it was a kind of like a natural desire to get back into running and get back to the things that I love doing with my friends. 

And I guess when I explore the whole world of the Paralympics, I to be completely honest, up until I was at that talent camp where they had a bunch of different people with different disabilities, I had never met another person that was an amputee before. Like, I literally never met someone that was in a wheelchair that wasn't... aged. So I think it was a really new world for me. And I also realised that there is a space in sport for people like me, and that actually gives you a great opportunity to, to not only, like meet other people with different... impairments and similar disabilities to you, but it also allows you to really test your new limits and find out what this new body of yours is capable of.

11:00 S2

I guess the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games, the village, etcetera, that kind of, sort of magnifies and amplifies it all, doesn't it? 

11:08 S1

It really does. Like when I... entered the Paralympic Village for the first time in 2012, at my first games, like I had never met so many people with disabilities before. It was actually quite overwhelming. And it can be quite... confronting as well, because you're in your own little bubble and you know what? You know, but all of a sudden there's a whole different world out there.

11:28 S2

What about... the preparation for Paris? Being a mum, did you kind of... do a lot of research into that? I guess there's a lot of evidence around these days to kind of make sure that the preparation is... as right as it can be for someone who's given birth.

11:44 S1

Yes and no. I think there is more and more research coming out that there's actually, you know, there's some evidence saying suggesting that females may actually get like, almost like a second wind in their career postpartum. It's like a bit of a reset for the hormones. And, to be completely honest, when I was about ten weeks postpartum and started running, I did not feel that like myself just yet. And it was a pretty long journey. But I think it really put me back into the shoes of like rediscovering sport for me and almost like starting over in a different space. And where, like leading into Tokyo, there was this big pressure of, you know, becoming that back to back champion and trying to perform. 

While I felt almost like this time around, the pressure was off because it was almost like restarting this journey as a professional athlete. And my second part of life as a mum, and I think that was a really good thing because like, I approached it with a really open mindset and I didn't really know how this journey was going to go because every pregnancy is different and every recovery is different, and every body is so different and how they react to things. And I really had to, like, tune into what my body was up to and what I could do and how far I could push it, and also really rediscovering how I can recover. 

Because like in the past, I was always like a bit of a planned process, like you had your daily schedules of now you train these times and then you went for recovery or you went for a nap. And now that you have a bob, everything is aligned to their schedule and they change every day. So there's no such thing as making plans and trying to work out how the next day is going to look like. You have to really go with the flow. Flexibility and agility, which is good for athletics and good for being a mom. I guess it is, yeah. You have to. 

S2

Vanessa, thank you so much for speaking to us. It's been an absolute delight. We've been waiting for a while to speak to you. I'm glad we've done it. We wish you well for whatever comes up in the future. And congratulations. You already have a very proud career to look back on. So, as I say, whatever happens in the future, we wish you well and thank you for making the time for us.

13:46 S1

Thank you so much again for having me. And it was my pleasure sharing my story with you all.

13:49 S2

Go today. That's Vanessa Lowe OAM. Two times gold medallist. They're just back from Paris. Being a mum and certainly with a very bright and long career ahead of her. 

Well the AFL Grand Final was last weekend. Let's find out what sort of a day Alex Coote had. Alex, g'day -, great to catch up with you again. Thank you for your time.

14:12 S3

Yeah, that's all right. How are you?

14:14 S2

I'm probably not as good as you are, I reckon. Now tell us, for new listeners or people that might have missed our chat a few weeks ago, what happened? You went to the competition and got a chance to go to the AFL Grand final?

14:25 S3

Yeah, so I knew a lot of cool stuff with the grand final, so I got to go in the lap of honour before the game with Jesse Hogan. And then I played at half time on the MCG with a lot of other Aussie kickers, and then got to hang a medal out to Lachie Neale after the game.

14:40 S2

To Lochie Neale.

14:41 S3

Yeah, it's a boy.

14:43 S2

So yeah yeah from Cubby Bowl out there, I think played Central Districts here in South Australia for a while. So that's pretty cool. Just about the day there. Now tell us about the competition. You had to kind of submit a video as to why you would like to be part of the day. 

15:00 S3

Yeah. So you had to enter a 30 second video and answer a few of these questions. And if they thought your video was good enough, then you get selected and then you have to go through this really big process. You get an interview and you get flown to Melbourne for it or wherever it is. And yeah, now let me tell you, when you do all that stuff that I just did...

15:22 S2

Now, I remember you telling us that you kind of entered with a mate, didn't you? 

15:26 S3

Yeah. So you got to nominate a friend to go with you if you got selected. So I nominated my friend Tristan, and we both had an amazing time, and we both thought it was so much fun. The head of the event.

15:41 S2

For the car ride come about, was that part of the deal? 

15:43 S3

Sort of. So I won an Oscar of the year, and that's one of the bonuses of winning that. So no other Oscar got to do that except me.

15:54 S2

Oh, fantastic. What sort of car was it? Not that it matters. 

15:58 S3

I think it was like a Hilux.

16:01 S2

What was it like? I mean, the huge crowd there were just over 100,000. I think so. Could you kind of, you know, can kind of sense what it would have been like for the players to have played in front of a crowd like that?

16:12 S3

Yeah, that would have that would have been very nervous. 100,000 people is a lot. And yeah, I can maybe the nerves got to a few of the players and then...

16:23 S2

Yeah, especially the ones wearing red and white. 

16:26 S3

Yeah. And I know...

16:27 S2

Alex Watts Jesse Hogan.

16:29 S3

Like he's a really nice guy and he's amazing to talk to as well.

16:33 S2

He's been through some tough times himself hasn't he. 

16:36 S3

Yeah. Well he's been traded a few times from Melbourne, Fremantle and Gold Coast and now he's at the Giants I reckon. But I reckon he's going to make a home there and stay there for a while. 

16:45 S2

He said you got that impression.

16:47 S3

Yeah. I reckon he'll stay there. He seems very happy with the club. Terrific.

16:51 S2

Well they've they've had a couple of good years. So a couple more steps and they might be on the the big stage as well. Now what about presenting the medal. How did that sort of come about? That was part of the day, wasn't it? But how did it work out who you presented to?

17:04 S3

So being on speaker of the year, I'd like to present to the captain and... 'cos Brisbane have two captains, Harris Andrews and Lachie Neale. I think it was whoever went last, and that was Lucky Neale and then. Yeah. And I really wanted to present one to Lachie Neale if it was Brisbane as well. And because he's an SA boy, and that's what happened.

17:26 S2

Now who were you barracking for? So I reckon when we spoke a few weeks ago, you thought Sydney might just have their nose in front as far as favourite for the grand final went to... who are we backing for on the day? 

17:37 S3

Yeah, I've got to say I was going for Sydney, but I'm not super disappointed.

17:40 S2

That we probably... Brisbane's biggest fan now, aren't you?

17:45 S3

Oh no.

17:46 S2

Okay...

17:47 S3

Well I'm sticking with the Crows.

17:48 S2

Okay, well, I feel sorry for you. Hey, what's Lachie Neale like? 

17:52 S3

Oh, he's a really nice guy. And, like... presenting, like, he gave me a handshake and it was really gentle. And that was really cool.

17:59 S2

Because he's been playing with an injury for weeks and weeks that it's kind of not so much kept sacred, but he just kind of battled on and battled through.

18:07 S3

Yeah, he was very close to winning the Norm Smith behind Will Ashcroft. But yeah he powered through. I think it was a foot injury. And yeah still played exceptionally.

18:16 S2

What about at half time? Tell us about that. 

18:19 S3

Yeah. So that was really cool. All those kickers got split up into two groups and then... we got red versus black from there. And anyone got touches on the ball, which was really good. And I think everyone kicked a goal actually.

18:31 S2

So it was good kick. More goals in Sydney.

18:34 S3

Yes. Combined we probably did.

18:37 S2

Now what do you get to kind of memorise the day from... I mean, I guess obviously, you know, there would have been photos and videos and all that sort of stuff, but do you get sort of some merchandise or paraphernalia, paraphernalia that you can take home with you? 

18:52 S3

I don't think I got any, but I have like a hoodie with all the... Keegan's name is on it. And my playing jersey. And then I have a ton of, my mum has a ton of photos on her phone. Like either she took them or people sent them to her, and she's probably got 100,000 combined.

19:08 S2

What happened after the game? As in sort of when all the festivities wrapped up? Did you do anything after that? t.

19:14 S3

We just went back to the hotel with all the speakers and we just had dinner. And then, yeah, once we did that, we just mucked around a bit. And then before you know it, it was time to go to sleep. And I got to get out of plane flight the next morning.

19:27 S2

There we go around Australia on the Australian Radio Network. A number of states have got school holidays at the moment. That probably sucks a bit at the moment. Wouldn't you like to be at school? Sort of, you know, doing a bit of show and tell?

19:37 S3

No, I honestly prefer holidays right now.

19:42 S2

Well, you got something to look forward to. I would imagine you would have heard from a few mates since Saturday.

19:48 S3

Yes, a lot of them.

19:50 S2

Yeah. Fantastic. Alex, as we said, we spoke a few weeks ago for PayPal and Martin. And be aware you do use a wheelchair. What's the MCG like? And just in general, what's the accessibility like at the... ground and at the game?

20:03 S3

The accessibility was really good. There was, I think there was, any stands there that I was basically forced to use, there was a ton of a bunch of lifts and ramps and all that. So that was really good. And MCG is just a great ground in general as well.

20:17 S2

Had you been there before?

20:19 S3

I've been there once for a Hawthorn Adelaide game and I didn't really get to walk around there much. We literally just walked to our seats and back, but exploring the whole basically the whole ground was amazing.

20:31 S2

Is the ground in great condition, like the the lawn or the... grass, the... oval itself? It's marvellous, isn't it. You know, I think players would be, you know, a real sense of privilege of playing on a surface like that. Yeah.

20:43 S3

Well, it was amazing weather that day and the day before. So the grass wasn't wet. It was absolutely perfect.

20:51 S2

Yeah. The stars aligned. Now, what about Katy Perry? Alex, what do you make of Katy Perry?

20:56 S3

I got to watch about half of her, but I'd say it's a really good performance. And I also got a wave from Katy Perry in the motorcade.

21:03 S2

Oh, serious.

21:04 S3

Yeah.

21:05 S2

Oh my goodness. You got to go to a concert. Maybe you get a free ticket.

21:09 S3

Right this way I probably could.

21:11 S2

Well, you're all my friends now, really, aren't you? She's waving to you, so. Yeah. You're halfway there. Yeah, terrific. Well said. Congratulations. And well done. That's a wonderful thing to have in your memory bank forever. Now, again, as we spoke last time, you've got another trip coming up to Queensland soon as well. 

21:29 S3

Yes. So I won my school's NFL flag tournament. So I coach assistant coached it, and we won nationals. And now we're off to the Gold Coast in 29 days.

21:42 S2

Alright. And if... you win there, you're overseas aren't you. 

21:46 S3

Yeah. We go to America at the... early next year.

21:49 S2

Oh, Hello. Can you keep up? because I can't. 

21:53 S3

Yeah, I can't either, honestly. 

21:54 S2

You're doing so much. It's incredible. And it's great to talk to you. Congratulations. It's it's a great thing that obviously you've experienced. Thank you for just sharing it with us a little bit. And I look forward to catching up with you another time. 

S3

Yeah. You too. 

S2

That's how it's out there. Of kicker of the year and also where we're spending the day at the AFL Grand Final. I think it'll be everyone's dream. And it came true.

22:16 S3

Yes, definitely.

22:20 S2

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

Well, it's really great to welcome to the program songwriter, musician and now author Antonio Iannella. Antonio, lovely to meet you. And thanks for your time.

22:43 S4

Hey, Peter. How're you doing, mate? Glad to be here.

22:46 S2

Yeah, and I'm glad you're here. I guess you're equally or especially glad to be here, given what you've been through.

22:51 S4

Yeah, it's been a long journey, but... there's been... I'd like to focus on the positives.

22:56 S2

Let's talk about... let's talk about the beginning of it. Your book is called Saigon Siren, and that kind of says a lot in itself, doesn't it?

23:04 S4

It can be misconstrued, because some people would think it's about like potentially the Saigon war, but it's not. It's my own war that I my own battle that I had in Vietnam about enduring. In 2009, while I was there on a family holiday, I had a... massive stroke in the shape of a hemorrhagic stroke, which is a bleed on the brain, and ended up in intensive care over there, and a rescue flight home. And through a long period of recovery, which led me to come up with that title, the Saigon Siren being that, you know, being in Saigon and siren in the ambulance and... yeah. And that was, that was concept of the book that I've been writing for years. And I finally finished it, and it's about to be published.

23:52 S2

Now, I guess when you were riding through Saigon in the ambulance there, you were literally clinging to life.

23:57 S4

I was absolutely yeah, I was... I lost everything, I couldn't, I had, I was met with a wall of blur. My hearing was distorted slightly, my speech was beginning to just become mumbling, and I lost complete control of my body. So when I collapsed, we were in a... little village called Cu Chi, and it's known for its underground war tunnels that the Vietnamese built during the war. And they actually lived in these walls, in these tunnels for like 25 years. Quite incredible. So we were there, just about to enter the tunnels and just watching some video footage. 

And that's when it began. I just felt this wave come over me, and it began in my left foot, and within minutes I was just lost complete control of everything, and they had to drag me literally. People had to come and help drag me to the tour bus, and which that took me to a local clinic. And then they, you know, they checked over me and rushed me to Saigon and... yeah, I don't I remember glimpses of what happened, but I was in the back of a sort of like an ambulance, I call it more like a courier's van. I've just been charging, charging towards Saigon.

25:07 S2

And, you know, obviously you sound well now, which is great, but there's been a long 15 years and a lot of battles along the way. And I note in one of the points that you make is that... obviously the impact upon you and your health and your life, but also your family, those close to you.

25:23 S4

Yeah, absolutely. Because whenever there's trauma in a family that it just affects everyone, not only the person who's gone through it. So there was a lot of strain on my daughters and mother. My daughters have been so young. They were three of them under ten, a ten month old, a five year old and I0, 9 year old? Wow. So for them, and then also my extended family, my my dad and my sisters and brother. So it was it was really difficult. And it took a lot of, you know, family support just to help me get to that point where I become independent.

25:56 S2

You had the stroke in Saigon, and then you flew back to Melbourne. Was there a long time between the the stroke and flying back? And I guess that kind of presents its own issues potentially. Does it when you're flying? 

26:07 S4

Yes. I had a stroke. Absolutely. Because I was in a cycling coach in Sydney. That's the name of the city that I was in intensive care for five days. And then I got a little bit better with stable. They'd moved me into a ward, so in total 11 days and then and they called it a rescue flight that was coordinated. And I was escorted back to Melbourne with a doctor and a nurse. And... the nurse was just fantastic. He looked after me, so I... contracted pneumonia. So my body temperature just escalate... and then, you know, an hour later drop. 

So he had to keep just kept me awake and keep me warm. And then cool my cool me and kept my check. My, you know, my heart rate, my blood pressure and all those things throughout the entire flight. And, yeah, once we got home, we landed at Melbourne Airport and there was an ambulance waiting on the tarmac, and they had the... airport officials had to get a, like a cherry picker to get me because I was in a wheelchair... to get me off the aeroplane, lower down to the tarmac, straight into the back of the ambulance, and then over to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

27:16 S2

As I say, sounds fantastic. Now, congratulations on that. Well, what was the hardest thing to do? And then what was the most sort of satisfying thing that you've done, if that makes any sense? Yeah.

27:26 S4

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. Some of the hardest, just I think that time in ICU was pretty hard because I was in, it felt like I was in this bubble of gel where, you know, I couldn't really understand anything that was too far away from me. Anything within a foot in front of me, I could sort of see, but it was all blurry and I could kind of make out and my hearing was damaged. I have hearing damage, so it was really hard to connect with what was going on and get an understanding of what's happening. But that was, and it was frightening. I was so frightened and that was the hardest, I think the hardest of the...  journey. 

But then there were a couple of really highlight, a couple of highlights when I first took my first few steps. That was such a hard... and it happened to be on my 39th birthday, and I was kind of... in the book, I talk about it as it was kind of like a gift from my physio, where she just... let me walk, and something came over me to let go of those rails and just I took these ten steps and it was just, it was such an exhilarating...

28:26 S2

That's powerful, isn't it? Like, you know, if those of us that can, if we go for a walk to the letterbox or the shop today, you know, kind of remembering those words that you just said, then take nothing for granted. 

28:39 S4

Yeah, yeah. I tried to adopt that mindset as things unfolded, I started to get better. It was just, you know, I was, you know, I went from a life that was like most of us were busy raising kids and working and stuff. And once that was all taken away from me, I just.. and I was in hospital. I just began to focus on just small things, little tasks that I could do, you know, like sit up and get to that and then take steps to get to that. And I wasn't looking too far ahead. And then and as that transition was happening, I just began to sort of think, I don't really want to go back to that life I had. It was just too, it was too hectic. I want to live simple and just just do things I enjoy. 

And that's what led me to just push in and fight for my independence, because it's so frightening when someone has to do everything for you like, you know, bath you and help you in the toilet and help you to get dressed. That's so far. And they had to airlift me out of the bed for about a month, so I'd be hoisted and then suspended from the hospital ceiling, then transferred down into the wheelchair just to get out of bed. So all those things. And then once you and then once you're able to walk, or one of the first things I was able to move from the bed to the wheelchair without assistance, that was like, wow. And so that was just those moments of quite exhilarating that, you know, you start to believe I could do it. I could do this.

29:57 S2

And, [?Kelly], what made you decide to write the book?

30:00 S4

I think the first thing is, I wanted to connect with people in a way - because I felt like I've made a pretty strong recovery. I have some, you know, I live with a disability. I have some left side of weakness. I haven't got great function to my left hand, but it's good enough to do most things. I can walk, which was great, you know, maybe not long, long distances, but I try and get out. And we spoke a few days ago, Peter, when I was out walking.

30:25 S2

I forgot to mention that actually, I was going to say you've made a pretty good recovery when we spoke the other day. You seem to be getting along walking really well.

30:31 S4

Yeah, I walk, I try and walk daily, take my dog out just beside me right now. And yeah, all those little tiny little things that just get an idea. So dare to question what made me write the book. So I kind of looked at that journey of having a stroke overseas with my family, the ICU, rescue flight, rehabilitation, back to walking. And around that time, about a year into my recovery, I created a band project and the band went on to enter into some, a Melbourne band battle of the bands competition. And we won that.

31:08 S2

Oh, well done.

31:09 S4

Yeah, we won some money that, we use that money to go into a professional studio and record an album. And it was just this all happened in the span of like, you know, about 15 months. I went from fairly paralysed in hospital to 15 months later, you know, standing in an audience of 200 people with the band playing the songs that I wrote. And we went on to win that and I just and while that was all going on, I was thinking, yeah, I gotta write a story about this. So I wanted to write and I wanted to sort of connect with people who've been through, who are going through what I was going through. To just give them that perspective of, you know, if you I mean, now a lot of people with disabilities, but and a lot of people find some kind of purpose in life and purpose kind of drives you. 

Then music became my my driving force. And so I wanted to put that in story form. That's why I say I'm sorry. Yeah.

32:01 S2

We'd better find out the name of your band. Can we kind of catch it on YouTube or can we find you?

32:05 S4

Yeah, there's been there's been a... since then there's been like a few different band projects, but the most current one that I will not - I won't say mind, but the most current one, but one that I was working on a few years ago. We released an album and it was all independently made. We, I ended up building a recording studio in my home, and we recorded the album. And that's called The Lion Tamers.

32:28 S2

Lion tamer. Yes, the lion tamer.

32:31 S4

And our album is called Lost in Translation. And it's kind of everywhere, you know, it's on Spotify. There are some clips of us on... YouTube. But that that album was just, it was a real turning point for me because a lot, I wrote a lot of songs that related to my journey, and there were songs about getting through depression and, you know, just really looking at my life and finding a new place to be and a new mindset. And all those songs kind of reflected that. So I'm really proud of that album.

33:02 S2

Well done. And obviously you're going to be proud of the book. Tell us a bit about when it's available and how people can access the book.

33:08 S4

It's going to be available... best place to get it or look at it is on Amazon. Excuse me. Its release date is October the 18th. I tell you, two weeks.

33:18 S2

Two weeks away.

33:19 S4

Yeah, yeah. And... it's going to be available in e-book, Kindle format or paperback and hard , yeah. Like I said, it's going to release on the 18th. I'm pretty excited. It's been a long journey to get to this point because I think I began writing it something like 2012, and then it just sort of hit a bit of a brick wall and went nowhere. And it was actually Covid that triggered me to pick it up again. We all were in lockdown and I had spare time, and I started looking at it and write short stories and added bits and, you know, and then it just from there, it just took a few more years and finally got it up and running.

34:03 S2

Well, good luck with the launch on the 18th. We'll be thinking of you Antonio when it's available in audio format. Get back to us because I'd love to have a chat to you about that, because obviously, given a number of listeners may be blind or have low vision, or indeed anyone who likes audio books these days, you can drive around and listen to it at your leisure. We'd love to let people know about that as well.

34:22 S4

I love audiobooks for that exact reason, because I have some vision problems myself, and so I do. But, yeah, but there was also other apps. There's a couple of apps. I've got a woman that's about to read the book who's blind, and she she requested it in PDF form. And I ask, how are you going to read it? She's like, I have a... breed of voice app. And I just put the book in there and it reads it to me. I was like, Oh, well, I didn't know that. Yeah.

34:46 S2

So yeah, lots of lots of different ways to access it. And good luck. We're out of time this time, but we'll keep in touch. And congratulations on all you're doing. And thank you so much. [?Peter Brasiliense.]

34:58 S4

Thank you. I, really lovely to talk to you. Take care.

35:00 S2

Tony Iannella there. Author, musician... and as he said, songwriter. And that book coming out, Saigon Siren. We'll put some details up on our Facebook page. And as always, if you don't have access to the internet, 1300 847 466 is our telephone number.

35:17 S5

Hi, I'm Isis Holt, T35, 100 meter world record holder, and you're listening to Leisure link with Peter Greco on the Vision Australia Radio network.

35:36 S2

Part two. Catch up with our health commentator. Our health expert, David Mitchell. David, welcome. 

35:39 S6

Hello, Peter. Hello, everyone.

35:42 S2

Now we're going to talk. You're going to talk a bit about oral health in particular - sort of gums and teeth and that sort of thing - and its importance and what we can do to kind of improve it. 

S6

Yeah. Governors and gormless is not a good look, is it? So and I notice that we're we're speaking on behalf of Peter Greco who's the shopaholic. Because every time he goes into the chemist, he finds something else to talk about, which includes... this topic. Is it a plastic? They're expensive. These probiotics for health in the the mouth. And yes, they are. Probiotics as you know as we know is a word that's been used for ages. And it's usually means that it's a collection of of the friendly bugs and bacteria that live in our bodies, that we often they often die off or get moved off, or other bugs grow in their places. 

And the idea of probiotics was to somehow or other replace the bad bugs with the good bugs. And when they got to the stage where everyone that had a bowel problem was taking them, then they thought, well, where else can we sell them? Ah, we could put them in a special combination whereby they can be absorbed through the mouth so we can deal with... diseases in the mouth. 

S2

So are you talking about inflamed gums? 

S6

We are talking about bad breath. We're talking about lousy or dry mouth saliva. We are talking about tooth cavities and buildup of tartar and plaque and so on. All of these are claims to be able to be cured by taking oral probiotics, the mixture of friendly bugs that live in the in the stomach. Sorry. In the in the mouth. Now it is no that bugs. We got trillions of different bacteria that live in various parts of our body, and the major concentrations of different ones are in the mouth and in the gut. And they are there because they're so useful in one way or another, either producing some form of protective chemistry, or more likely, they actually metabolise or eat or gobble up the food that we eat, or parts of food that we eat and turn it into good chemicals, which we then absorb and keep us healthy. And that's good. 

But they can be killed off, and they can be killed off because of antibiotics, because of a poor diet, because of bad eating habits, or a bad in the case of the mouth, lack of of either flossing or brushing. They can allow other bugs to grow instead, so that the lovely green lawn starts to get brown patches and funny little prickly patches that weren't there before. The problem with taking probiotics is that they don't actually kill these bad bugs. So unless you can kill those bad bugs or somehow or other build up the body's resistance so it naturally gets removed. The probiotics are going to be of limited use. 

So this is not exactly debunking them. It's more about the fact that from the money that you're paying, the amount of of actual growth within your mouth is not going to be great. And then using the same gardening type aspects, the reason is that unless you've got the the right soil balance with the with the right health in the mouth, then nothing's going to grow except the bad bugs. So it's the same if you don't put the right sort of fertilisers in your garden, then you get more weeds and less flowers, or you get small flowers or daggy flowers or flowers that fall over and so on. 

So what we're aiming to do, therefore, is, is take another look and another approach, and to say that what are the things that we we mostly lack in our diet in many cases for various reasons, including diet itself and or aging and or disease. And the major things that we need are zinc B12, vitamin C, and possibly another couple of other funny ones. Now, zinc is probably the most important thing because it's it's needed right? Throughout our lives. We can't make it. We have to absorb it. But we're very poor and absorbing it through our mouth or through our gut, and we often need to look at a replacement. Now we get zinc via red meat, via chicken, and from nuts and that and some of the leafy green veggies. But the extraction from leafy green veggies gets worse as we get older, or gets less as we get older. 

So how do I know I've got a zinc deficiency? I may have white spots on my fingernails, or my fingernails are starting to crack and split. I might have dry and scaly skin. I might have cracks in the corners of my mouth. I might have fissures or ridges in it, running up and down our tongue that weren't there before. Or I might have gingivitis and inflammation of the gums and you may start noticing that your partner is no longer rushing up and giving you a smacking kiss on the lips. You're getting a little peck on the cheek. The bad breath is pushing them away at a great rate of knots. So taking some zinc, if you can recognise those sorts of conditions, can be really powerful way of giving you better... dental area or dental health, I should say, is a better word... and lessen the need for probiotics because in taking this, you will get the right fertiliser for the bugs that are that are already there, the good ones to grow, and they tend to wipe out the bad bugs themselves. 

So it's... a pretty good thing. And you these days you can now get zinc gummies. And I did have one just before I started this, this session, and not because I used a month or so ago. I had wiped my fingernails, and within the month I had a bad bacterial infection and a the bronchopneumonia that no one could work out, and my white blood cells and my drop down to a very low level and unhealthy level. And guess what zinc does? It also builds up the production of what the white blood cells, and in particular the protective and killer white blood cells. 

Okay. To make them work better. So if I'd worked this out a bit quicker, I probably would have saved myself a couple of days in hospital attendance, and the government might have given me a medal or something for being right and smart all at the same time. So zinc is really, really important. Number one. Number two, B12, B12 comes from red meat. And again we can't make it, we've got to take it in. So those who are not eating or are on a vegetarian style diet or a vegan style diet, unless they're taking a vitamin B12 supplement that is readily absorbed into the body, then they too will have a breakdown in the health of the mouth and generally with the rest of the body, because we need B12 to keep our brains ticking over to stop depression and anxiety, and we need it to give us a bit of a kick and a bit of energy and a bit of motivation and drive. 

So if we are not taking enough B12 in because we're not eating it, then we need to have a B12 supplement and again, preferably taking it via a sunken tablet so it can be absorbed through the lining of the mouth first before it's fed into it. So the same thing applies to the zinc gummies and the zinc lozenges. You delivering it locally where you need it, where you're putting it fertilizer in that part of the garden where it's needed. So those two become really important. So B12 again can be part of the swollen gums, the inflamed gums, but they can also be the roots of that mixture of depression and anxiety and less of motivation. And or if you've got the a positive link to the mother father gene, the [?Mthfr] gene, and we can't use ordinary B12, one of those things could be a marker for B12. If not, then a multi B is probably better than just a B12 by itself. 

Okay, the third bit is that vitamin C, vitamin C is part of a builder repairer and health and antibacterial and antiviral substance that we all need and we don't make enough of. And vitamin C we get worse as we get older because we don't eat as much fruit in particular because it's all too hard. So we'd rather just eat. And the vitamin C levels drop. Now, how do I know about that? I don't heal very well, so cuts and scratches just take longer, or get redder and take longer to heal themselves before it all settles down. And if you've had an operation and the wounds are all mucky and it's just not getting better properly, or if you've got a big wound on your leg, that's ulcerated and it's not healing and not getting better. Vitamin C is one of the major causes of that. 

And taking that can give you that health not only externally via the skin, but also internally in the. And in particular in the mouth. And again, getting the vitamin C tablets will give you that local delivery. You're getting it where you need it. Mm. Now to two other things if we've got the time. One is that as a lot of us get older we get dry mouth. We don't make as much saliva. And when the saliva we make isn't, isn't as sort of juicy and slippery as it should be so that we, that it tends to also kill off some of the good bugs because they're not being fed by the saliva, which is carrying all sorts of nutrients, and also adding a protective, gooey, slimy layer that's expected and what the mouth needs to be protected from any of the bad things. 

So if considering then that being an issue, if you do have something from the dry up and you've tried each of these other things, and maybe you should give a short dose of xylitol - x-y-l-i-t-o-l. As a chewing gum or as sucking lozenge that actually stimulates the production of more saliva. And so not only can you talk for longer because you're not getting a dry mouth, but you can also...moisten it so that the mouth itself is, it's... the edges are not cracking or splitting or licks... lips are not getting all dry and scaly. All of those things can come just from taking the xylitol to make more...saliva. 

45:34 S2

Is that over the counter, David? Or... do you just... go to the chemist?

45:36 S6

It's a chemist. You don't need a prescription. And I suggest you just buy a small amount and try it and see. Yeah, it's going to work in and work in a couple of days. And in terms of how the saliva improves. And if it does, then you carry along for a while and leave it off. Now, the last one is also to consider is NAC or N-acetylcysteine, but usually it's just capital N capital A, capital C, from health food stores and both locally and other cities, and they have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. 

And they also have a, they help you build up the proper amount of moisture that's called a biofilm or a biodome, which is the coating or covering not only in the in every wet part of the body, I should say. So the nose, the sinuses, the the throat, the... oesophagus, the trachea, the bowel, all of those need lots of intake. They also have a habit of discouraging the bad bacteria. 

So you could say in order of preference and depending on how kissable you are, it could it should be zinc, B12, vitamin C, xylitol and NAC as being followed one by the other by the other to see which works best. And I'm in favor always of trying something for a month or two, to see if it's going to do any good. If it's not, then I will stop it. And if I get worse, then I'll go back and do it. If I get worse, then I'll add something else in. So each of us says, right, well, I'll buy a bottle of that or a bottle of this, and something is probably a good way of working out, and sometimes we'll need several. But you trial it out on yourself. 

And Peter reminded me the other day that it's a trial of one. Instead of being millions and millions of people in this big medical trial. It's just going to be one person. That's you. One of our radio listeners that's you is doing a trial of one of yourself against the zinc, possibly then the B12, then the vitamin C, then the xylitol, then the NAC. How am I doing?

47:43 S2

David, that was magnificent. I'm tempted to say something like, I could give you a kiss right now, but that's probably not appropriate.

47:51 S6

That's all right. We're a safe distance.

47:55 S2

David, wonderful. We'll catch up again next month. Great.

47:58 S6

And see you. Bye, everyone.

48:00 S2

David, meet you there. Health commentator with... some supplements and also supplemented with a wonderful sense of humor. Ah, there she goes. That's Polly put the kettle on. Which means it's time to speak to Belinda Hellyer from 97A Old Port Road at Queenstown. Belinda Hellyer from Brewed by Belinda. The brew that is true. Hello, Belinda.

48:37 S7

Hello. How are you?

48:39 S2

I'm very well. You've got a great topic for today and very, very appropriate as far as the timing of it goes.

48:46 S7

Absolutely. I feel like we've timed this one very well. We're talking about seasonal tea drinking again as we move through the seasons, and this time talking about our transition from winter to spring.

49:02 S2

Now, the last time we spoke to you, or when we spoke to you in June or July, we talked about drinking the teas that warm you up, things like the black teas, etc. So what sort of things does the season change as far as the tea selections go?

49:16 S7

Well, yes. So now we're moving away from those kind of teas we're drawn to through winter. And as you mentioned, like black teas and sort of teas with a bit more body and also teas that have warming ingredients and ingredients for our, you know, sort of digestive system, things like that. So we're moving away from those styles of tea and into what I would kind of say more kind of uplifting, cleansing brews, you know, as the temperatures warming and we're getting some more sunshine and the blossoms are out. We're sort of emerging from that really quiet retreat of winter. 

And you know, I'm coming out with a spring in our step. So as the seasons change, you know, we we can change our tea drinking as well. So yeah, moving to those sort of more uplifting, cleansing, re-energising brews as we step back out into the world after, you know, hibernating and retreating.

50:16 S2

Can you give some examples to sort of change the sort of infusions that kind of appropriate for this time of the year? 

50:23 S7

Yeah. Well, I'm always drawn to things that kind of awaken, you know, cleanse. And so the types of tea that I'm drawn to and that our bodies tend to be drawn to are these kind of lighter styles of tea green, um, and white teas, a couple of teas in my range that I'm kind of loving at the moment is like... we've got a tea called Moroccan Mint and Rose, and it's a gunpowder green tea. So that green tea is really kind of cleansing to the system. and then it features mint, which is kind of awakening. And, you know, it's soothing, but it's also kind of energizing. 

So peppermint, mint, they can be quite energising ingredients, things like white and green teas, they're sort of... I guess cleansing, clarifying for the system. I don't know, it's kind of like blowing out the cobwebs, you know? Yeah. Cleansing, energising teas that are sort of lighter in style.

51:23 S2

Well, mint like a lot of people kind of use mint, in fact, you know, the toothpaste people use mint in their toothpaste. It does kind of freshen things up, doesn't it? I mean, you can kind of literally feel it and taste it. Freshen you up.

51:36 S7

Absolutely. It's a fresh bar, you know, zingy feeling. Yeah. Awakening feeling in the mouth and in the body. So yeah, it's soothing, but also awakening. I also love sort of lemongrass teas or teas that feature lemongrass at this time. Or lemon myrtle. Again, they're sort of uplifting and awakening, but also cleansing. So lemongrass is known to sort of... one of the benefits it's known for is to sort of flush toxins from the system. So a good time to kind of, you know, cleanse. Yeah. So lemon is good. And also those citrus notes are great because as the seasons change, you know, there are some sort of bugs and, you know, certain flus and things that kind of go around when, when the seasons change. So those citrus ingredients have a lot of vitamins and have those antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities are really good at this time as well.

52:36 S2

And I guess, like, you know, the garden, if you like, kind of provides those hints for us. I mean, you know, oranges are in plentiful supply at the moment. That sort of thing is nature's kind of telling us this is what you need right now.

52:48 S7

Yeah. I think working with the seasons just makes so much sense in terms of what we're eating, what we're drinking. And yeah, what's growing really well. Another tea that I'm drinking a lot of at the moment is like, a blend that we've made with a naturopath for, um, glowing skin. So that's all about. It's it's a blend called Look at You Glow, and it's all about, um, kind of cleansing from the inside. And then, you know, that cleansing to the outside in terms of, you know, that adding that kind of fresh glow... to your skin and, you know, as we step out, we've got sort of, you know, I guess more events and, you know, you're wanting to sort of, you know, glow and, you know, step out again socially. 

So, yeah, things like that that are cleansing, energising, lots of vitamins are really good choices right now. So lighter styles of tea and teas that have those kind of health benefits that support us at this time.

53:49 S2

What should that look at? You grow a glow. What's in that?

53:52 S7

Oh, it's a beautiful blend. It's very gentle, which I like. It's got lemon myrtle, dandelion leaf, calendula, lots of petals, calendula, chamomile, lavender and lemongrass in there, as well as some rose. So the lemongrass is our cleansing. The dandelion leaf sort of supports healing and skin health and is cleansing too. And then you've got that lemon myrtle in there, um, with its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory qualities and all the pretty petals that are soothing. So, yeah, it's a really pretty and gentle sort of elixir for glowing skin that, you know, can really assist to cleanse from the inside to the outside.

54:36 S2

Yeah, I like that. And we talked about the garden, of course, as you said, a lot of trees blossoming, blossoming and blossoming. Now that's the word I'm looking for. Do you kind of, can't use any sort of blossoming type things in teas?

54:48 S7

Look, last year we did the most amazing collaboration with a beautiful woman called Deb from Taronga Almonds in Willunga. And we picked... in winter. We picked the almond blossom from her almond trees and made a really stunning blend with camellia buds and rose petals. So we still have a little of that left we didn't get, and we sort of ran out of time to get to the blossoms this year. I just had so much going on. So we've taken a year off using those blossoms in tea, but we'll pick that up again next year because it was stunning. But you can use orange blossom, all sorts of blossom through tea. 

And, and that's just, you know, one of my dreams to be able to work with blossom. But I guess when you're picking blossom, it means, you know, you're taking away the fruit that would grow from the fruit or the nut or whatever that blossom is, you know, the beginning of. So if you're picking the blossom, you're not going to get the fruit or nut result. So, you know, you can't cull too much blossom out there.

55:54 S2

That's a good point. And we've kind of, got to know you over the time and how important that sort of, you know, making sure that nature does provide, as it should. How important that is to you, like the ecology of things as well as... obviously making things that taste nice.

56:09 S7

Absolutely. Which is why last year, when we did make the blossom tree, it... we picked the blossom from a tree that no longer... provides fruit like it was an older almond tree. So that was, yeah, a good choice at the time. So kind of new life into that old tree.

56:28 S2

Well, also, you've given the tree a year to recover, so next year you can kind of go back to it. So every other year I think nature would be happy with that.

56:36 S7

Yeah, I think so. Let's work out.

56:39 S2

How can we get in touch with you? 

56:41 S7

You can find me at 97 Old Fort Road in Queenstown. That's where my studio is. Over the phone, 0419 839 702 or via our website, which is Brewed By Belinda dot com dot AU.

56:57 S2

All right, well happy spring, it feels like it is very much here. And spring can also, you know, have that changeable weather as well. We get some nice days and a bit of a northerly wind. And then the southerly comes in and changes things. So that's kind of part of spring as well. So I think we're definitely there at the moment. Thank you for sharing that with us. And we'll catch up next month.

57:15 S7

Wonderful Peter. Thanks a lot. Happy spring.

57:17 S2

Haha, bloody hell, are you there? Who puts the spring in our step by hearing her speak? And we can join Belinda round about this time each month. And if there's something you'd like Belinda to tackle, get in touch. If there's a topic you'd like Belinda to find out a bit more about, Belinda would love to do that for us. Well, the big focus on Ability Awards Day was held the last Sunday and he's put his bow tie on and suit again. Ryan Goodwin, the creative director, joins us. How are you, Mr. Suave?

57:48 S8

Ha! Thank you so much for having me. It's... I'm not sure if I get called suave too often, but I'll take it.

57:55 S2

All right. How did they go? I believe it was better than suave.

57:58 S8

Oh, it was amazing. We had people come from all over the country to... celebrate. I guess with us, we had the Minister for Disability and Social Services, Department of Social Services there. We had celebrities, and of course, we had our wonderful filmmakers and film stars all participating on the red carpet. And yeah, we had a great time.

58:21 S2

It's been quite a journey, hasn't it? So you've done a bit of touring, sort of pulling it all together, and now it's all capped off with an event like that.

58:29 S8

Yeah. September was probably our biggest month we've ever had. We had eight screening events around Australia. We coordinated a launch event in the UK. We had our red carpet awards in Malawi and then yeah, we finished it off with a bang at the the Red carpet Awards that got. Yeah, not only 450 people there in the venue, but we had people live streaming all around the world as well.

58:54 S2

Yeah, that was one of the great things we mentioned on the program last week, that it was being live streamed, and that's a great way for anyone and everyone to kind of get involved, like, you know, literally very accessible.

59:05 S8

Yeah, absolutely. And we know that everybody doesn't have the, the chance or the funds or the ability to travel to Sydney. And we appreciate that. You know, the hard work that other people have put into the festival and also the general public. I mean, what we thought would only interest people that participated in it has now grown. You know, people really love the show. We've got, you know, wonderful talents, we've got wonderful films. And I think people are tuning in just to check it out as well. Well, the great.

59:33 S2

Well, the great thing about it is, it's kind of, I often call it subliminal advocacy. I mean, people are kind of finding out via the films by streaming event like this, the abilities of people with disabilities and and stories behind it. So it's a great way to kind of get the message across to the, to the mainstream public. If I can call it that.

59:53 S8

Yeah, absolutely. We find as soon as we get people involved in the festival and they start watching some of the films and experiencing some of the content, we tend to keep them. I think, the impact is so large and, you know, people start to realise things that they might not have previously. You know, the education involved in each of these films is... truly powerful. 

1:00:17 S2

Well, tell us about the UK, sort of angle. Yeah.

1:00:21 S8

So we had, yeah, a launch over in the UK. We had an opportunity over there, some cinema chains, yeah. Decided they wanted to get behind the festival. We've had some great films from the UK over the years, but, yeah, we had a local council get involved as well, and we've kind of see the UK as an opportunity for us to expand and hopefully bring in new sponsorship. And yeah. So it was good to have an event on the ground over there. And hopefully that's something that we can continue to develop.

1:00:52 S2

Going international.

1:00:53 S8

Yeah. Yeah. Well uh Malawi one day, UK the next. Yeah.

1:00:57 S2

Well look out, look out Cannes, here we come. Yeah.

1:01:00 S8

Look. Well we've gone Sundance actually. So the the winners of the open short film this year are having their film played at Sundance in January.

1:01:10 S2

Oh that's excellent. Oh that's fantastic. We might see if we can catch up with them. Ryan, I'll get back to you about that. And you also got some good news regarding sponsorship. You talked about... those opportunities. You had an announcement regarding sponsorship.

1:01:22 S8

That's, probably is, the Department of Social Services have come on board International Day of Disability. So they've been a long-term sponsor for us. But it was great to get that... tick of approval. And yeah, we had some of the ambassadors there at the event. We had the minister, and now we've got a big lead up into December 3rd. We're essentially going to be taking over SBS because, yeah, we've got six episodes in the morning. That'll all be... captioned and audio described. And then we've got an hour long documentary in the afternoon as well. So, yeah, that'll all live on the On Demand platform. So, yeah, plenty content going out Australia-wide and free.

1:02:07 S2

Well, that's exactly the point I was about to make. I mean, you talked about people not, you know, having the funds to travel or maybe a lot of people on limited internet, downloads, etc. but you know, something like SBS, it's kind of free-to-air. So it's tremendous. What about some of the winners? What some of the highlights from your point of view, Ryan? 

1:02:25 S8

Well, we're really lucky. We actually had pretty much all the winners in the room. A lot of people, on their own accord.

1:02:31 S8

We had people come up from South Australia, we had someone come over from WA, we had some people up from Victoria and a... lovely family who drove down... from central Queensland. So some people made a huge effort to be there. And yeah, it was so wonderful. We had so many people crying on stage in a good way. But we also had some really impactful stories that had the audience crying. But it's good to feel emotion, I think. I think you feel emotion. You know, you're alive.

1:03:03 S2

Yeah, that's a great way to put it. And I guess, you know, for those people, you know, it's literally been blood, sweat and tears that have gone into into some of these projects.

1:03:11 S8

Absolutely. And it's it's so much bravery to have your story told and be so vulnerable on the screen. And then, you know, the filmmakers have put together such beautiful art and, you know, you're putting it out for the world to judge. Yeah, it takes a lot of courage, but I think, yeah, for a lot of people, it's definitely been worth it.

1:03:31 S2

Yeah, it's a great point you make because, as you say, you know, you're putting yourself out there. I mean, and in the audio and visual world, as it were. So you're literally being being stared at or being looked at or being being, you know, quote unquote, judged.

1:03:45 S8

Yeah. Look, it's, yeah, it's very brave. I think I'm a bit of a private person. And I can imagine how nervous I would be sharing my story to the world. And so, yeah, I can only imagine the, the feelings that people go through. But I think the beauty of the festival is, it's such a safe space. I think people, when they view the films and they're in an audience, they understand that everybody's there to appreciate their story and their vulnerability, and everyone's just really captured by the moments that they're shared.

1:04:18 S2

I was on last week, but... fear not, you can still have access to it via your website.

1:04:23 S8

Yeah, it's going to live up there probably till the end of the year. Um, so people can get on and check it out. I know it's getting viewed all around the world still, so that's a great way to get involved with the festival. And then yeah, in the lead up to December 3rd, we'll be, uh, publishing a whole different ways to get involved. On that day. There'll be screening events all around the country. I know I get I'm getting in touch. Uh, I've got lots of local councils and organisations getting in touch with me for film packs to celebrate December 3rd. So I'd imagine it's coming, uh, to an audience close to you.

1:04:57 S2

What's a great way to celebrate the day? I mean, it's a big day, International day for people with disabilities. And, you know, sometimes organisations or councils etc. might be looking for ways to kind of mark the day. Well, you know, this is kind of landing in your lap.

1:05:10 S8

Yeah. And we're officially part of the... community now. So they've got packs that go out. And we're part of those packs where people can get in touch with us and, and request... some films. So, yeah, it's great to be able to give this platform to filmmakers and then have more people around the country viewing these films. 

1:05:32 S2

Rights. Great to catch up. We'll keep in touch and we'll see if we can get 1 or 2 of the winners on there between now and hopefully, maybe before the December 3rd. So we can kind of cross-promote that as well. You can maybe loosen that bowtie of yours and relax a little bit.

1:05:45 S8

I'll try my best. I'll try my best. Thank you so much for having me on the show.

1:05:49 S2

Ryan Goodwin there - the creative director for the Focus on Ability Film Festival. You can check all that out on their website. Focus on Ability dot com dot AU. On the Vision Australia network through your favorite podcast service on 1197AM in Adelaide, you're listening to Leisure Link. 

Let's talk about a rather serious topic, the topic of tick paralysis for pets. And the best person to speak about it is Doctor Martin Perkins from the village vet. Martin, Martin it's lovely to meet you. Thank you for your time. 

1:06:25 S9

Pleasure. Thanks for having me.

1:06:26 S2

Now, this is a pretty important time of the year. Or a very, time of the year where this sort of thing is a bit more prevalent.

1:06:33 S9

Absolutely. I mean, we do have paralysis ticks around all year round, but this is peak season for us. And sometimes people are caught a little bit off guard. And it's often a time when we see some of the worst cases of tick paralysis.

1:06:45 S2

So why is this particular time of the year more prevalent?

1:06:49 S9

Yeah, it's the weather, really. So the female ticks are sort of feeding, and it's a time when most people, uh, you know, the warm weather has just started to come. And so, yeah, spring, third week of spring for New South Wales is often one of the worst times. And basically between August and February is our peak peak season. But we do occasionally see cases all year round.

1:07:12 S2

It doesn't matter which state we might be living in. We're going around Australia on the Vision Australia Radio network, so people listening in all over the place, there's any particular state more prone?

1:07:21 S9

So it's basically the eastern seaboard from north Queensland down to Victoria and I gather Gippsland. I'm not in the Gippsland area, but I think they have a couple of peak seasons down there. So there's a couple of times of year when it's their peak season. But yeah, for Eastern seaboard basically.

1:07:40 S2

And I guess it's kind of a bit of a silent thing if you like. It's not an obvious thing that your pet might have ticks.

1:07:47 S9

No, not until it's often quite serious. Do they show... signs? Sometimes the signs can be a little bit subtle, like yeah, well, the common symptoms of tick paralysis often include sort of wobbly hind legs. So progressing to maybe sort of being a little bit unusual when they walk. You might find when you take your dog for a walk, it trips up a step, or it doesn't even want to go up the stairs or doesn't want to jump up on the couch. So some subtle signs like that. Obviously with cats, we don't take our cats for a walk, and so sometimes people don't notice it until it's actually affecting their breathing. And yeah, we'll have an odd, unusual, grunty sound coming from them when they breathe. Or an altered bark or meow for dogs and cats. It'll end up in paralysis.

1:08:32 S2

What about things like going off their food? Is that a bit of an indicator at all, or not really?

1:08:38 S9

They still want to eat until they actually have problems swallowing. And so, you know, we always say to people, if there's any suspicion that you think your pet may have a tick, really important not to feed them, get them to the vet and don't feed them, because if they do regurgitate or aspirate, they can aspirate their food and end up with pneumonia. And that's one of the most serious consequences.

1:09:01 S2

Okay. What about in terms of treatment? I guess like a lot of these things, Martin, the earlier that sort of medical intervention can come into play the better.

1:09:10 S9

Yeah, absolutely. So obviously there's there's preventative treatment which is treating with one of the, you know, the long acting medications, which work very well, like Bravecto. But in terms of if you think your pet does have a tick, the best thing to do is to get it off straight away. If you can find it and keep it. Show it to your vet so that we know how big it was and can confirm what kind of tick it was. And then we can get on and treat your pet, your pet with the antitoxin. Some people sort of don't realise that, think that ticks not, they've found a tick and think their pet is not showing clinical signs. But really important to get it to the vet, because the onset of signs can sometimes be delayed.

1:09:51 S2

You talked about particularly the eastern seaboard. I mean, obviously not obviously. Is it more for maybe, you know, outside pets or pets that tend to spend a lot more outdoors? Not not. Yeah. For sure.

1:10:04 S9

Yeah, for sure. I mean, if you're out in the bush and... then you've got much more chance of getting getting a tick on you. So obviously they're at much higher risk animals that are outside. However, we do occasionally see animals presenting with tick, who are 100% indoor pets. For example, 100% indoor cat. Yeah. And they usually come in on the owner's clothing or... washing that's been hung outside. So it's still it's still an occasional risk for those indoor pets.

1:10:31 S2

You really have to be on guard. What about in terms of the effectiveness of treatment? Assuming that it's early? That sounds like it's pretty optimistic. I mean, it can get very, very serious. And, you know, things like, sort of a pet ICU can come into play.

1:10:45 S9

Absolutely. So obviously your vet will do their very best to... treat your pet, but the antitoxin only really sort of eliminates the effect of the... toxin that's in the bloodstream, everything that's already left the bloodstream and is on its way to the nervous system will still have an effect on your pet, so that we can only support them through. So if they are having difficulty breathing or swallowing, then often they end up in ICU. They needing suctioning of their their pharynx and larynx and end up sometimes on a ventilator in ICU, sometimes for days. And, you know, that's not only a huge emotional toll on people, but also a financial one.

1:11:23 S2

I was going to say people love their pets. And of course, you know, in a sense the financial considerations are not a consideration. But there is a limit, I guess. The other thing is, as you say, it would be very, very stressful. What about in terms of sort of after effects, after recovery? Is there sort of ongoing symptoms that can linger?

1:11:42 S9

Not really. If you're I mean, they can be for a couple of weeks until your pet's back to normal. But once your pet's, you know, fully back to normal and recovered, it is a full recovery. So, you know, that's great news, but it can be very difficult getting there.

1:11:55 S2

Now, I don't mean to be cheeky, but is it kind of once bitten, twice shy? If they've been bitten once by a pet... by tick, is that okay then? Or, you know, are they as prone next time around? Like, is there any sort of build up from it? 

S9

Look, some pets... we see sometimes the same pet coming in every year for the same problem. Wow. Yeah. So it's really sad. And in fact, the second time around, especially for cats, the antitoxin can become quite serious because they can get an allergic reaction to the hypersensitivity to the toxin antitoxin that we want to give them. So, really don't want your pet getting affected a second time.

1:12:41 S2

And we've talked about cats and dogs. Is that the kind of... pet that's most at risk? Correct?

1:12:46 S9

Yes. Other animals like our wildlife carry the tick on them. Um, but, yeah, it's our our cats and dogs that are affected.

1:12:53 S2

And any particular breed of cat or dog?

1:12:55 S9

No, but, you know, the long haired ones are trickier to find the ticks on and so maybe go a little bit unnoticed. So that's why, you know, preventative treatment, uh, is so important with, with one of the, the long acting things that actually work like Perfecto. Daily tick searching is also really good in peak tick season and being astute to the symptoms of tick paralysis.

1:13:18 S2

I guess you and your kids, you know, if you're at work, for example, and your kids are at home... we've got school holidays in some states at the moment, that sort of thing. Yeah, yeah. Get your kids kind of educated in that area as well.

1:13:29 S9

Absolutely. You know, it's good for them to learn how to do a search, what to watch for. And a handy little thing to have at home is a set of tick twisters, which is, helps you get the tick out and in its entirety. 

1:13:40 S2

Oh, some great tips, Martin. Thank you so much. I know you got plenty on your plate, so appreciate you speaking to us. Good luck. And it'll be good to speak to you again in the future.

1:13:47 S9

No worries. Thanks so much for having me.

1:13:48 S2

That's Doctor Martin Perkins there from the village vet talking about tick paralysis and peak season. So let's all be very much on the lookout for it.

1:13:58 S10

Hi. My name is Natalie Reid from Equality Lawyers, and you're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco on the Vision Australia Radio network.

1:14:09 UU (THEME)

Baby, listen, you better get a real good one.

1:14:15 S2

It's been really interesting research regarding the color of your eye and maybe needing to wear sunglasses. Let's find out a bit more about it. And from Specsavers, let's speak to optometrist Kalp. Kalp, lovely to meet you. Thank you for your time.

1:14:27 S11

Hi Peter, thanks so much for having me.

1:14:29 S2

Tell us about this research then - is it kind of new, or have we kind of always known this? But now it's kind of more evident. It's definitely.

1:14:36 S11

It's definitely a lot more front of mind now. And that's that's what we're aiming to achieve at Specsavers. So we're... about 42% of Australians have lighter coloured eyes like blue, grey or green, putting them potentially at greater risk of UV damage.

1:14:49 S2

And do we know why that's the case?

1:14:51 S11

So with lighter coloured eyes, there's less pigment there to absorb the harmful UV rays. So more of more of those harmful UV rays are getting through to the middle part of the eyes, through to the back of the eye. And that can have potential long-term consequences in terms of the health of the eyes.

1:15:07 S2

And is this kind of now able to be proven or it's now more evidence is in to kind of prove this fact?

1:15:13 S11

Yes, definitely. This is all evidence-based in terms of the greater the exposure to UV rays, the greater the risk of developing things such as faster progressing cataracts, age related macular degeneration that can cause long term vision damage.

1:15:31 S2

Now, I know you're very much into preventative medicine. What's the kind of take-home message for something like this? 

1:15:35 S11

The best thing to do would be to wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection whenever we are outdoors, whether it's on a cloudy day or a sunny day, especially with summer coming up during the hours of 10 to 4 would be absolutely critical because that's when the danger from those UV rays is at its highest.

1:15:57 S2

Because we've got daylight saving now, of course. And as you say, the days are getting longer and warmer. We're more tempted to go outside and spend more time outdoors. Later on we'll have the Christmas, New Year, holidays, etc. so this is a very timely way of reminding people.

1:16:12 S11

Exactly right, Peter. So it is. It is a great time to get your hands on some sunglasses, which do have UV protection. Going into that summer, as you said, the days are getting longer. We are going to have more hours of daylight as well. And with holidays coming up as well, traveling, it's yeah, it's a great time to start acting on it now.

1:16:35 S2

So Kalp, all sunglasses aren't created equal.

1:16:37 S11

Most definitely not. So what you want to look for is making sure that they're 100% UV protected. So at Specsavers all our glasses have 100% UV protection. And on top of that you can get polarising as well, which will add to the comfortability if you're driving or if you're out fishing even in the garden, just stopping that annoying glare reflecting off the concrete.

1:16:58 S2

I mean, without sort of wanting to pin you down, how much time outside would you need to spend before considering putting on sunglasses? It's similar with sunscreen. I mean, if you're just going out to the letterbox, I guess it's no big deal. But if you're, say, spending some time in the garden or going to the beach for a couple of hours or so, then that's kind of critical.

1:17:17 S11

Exactly. Right. So just depending on what we're doing, if we're quickly popping out to the letterbox, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you don't pop on your sunnies. But if you're going for even a five, ten minute walk, that would that would be sort of the threshold, I would, I would advise.

1:17:30 S2

And what about as far as... the different states in Australia? We go around Australia on the Vision Australia radio network. Does that make much difference?

1:17:38 S11

Ah, most definitely does. So with... our with our southern location here in Victoria and Tasmania, we're a little bit closer to that thinner part of the ozone layer. Whereas with our northern states, we've got more exposure from the sun because being closer... to the equator, the sun's a bit higher as well.

1:18:00 S2

You know, is it the sort of thing that if you go into Specsavers, do you need to kind of have a consult or can you just pick something up that you either like the look of or like the feel of?

1:18:10 S11

We would always advise having a consult, just so we could do a comprehensive eye test. And that's not just checking the vision, but it's also doing an CT scan where we can pick up any changes at the back of the eyes in the retina and the macula... early signs of sun damage. You're not gonna notice in your day to day life until it gets to later stages. So it's always best to have that full eye test done, make sure everything's okay with the health of the eyes, and then we can make some sunglasses up for you.

1:18:40 S2

What about in terms of the age that you'd want to be kind of introducing sunglasses, if you like? 

1:18:46 S11

I mean, the younger the better, the younger the better. So with with kids, around prep or even before prep, when they're starting to play sports as well, where they're spending a bit more time outdoors, that's when you want to start getting them into those habits of having the sunglasses.

1:19:02 S2

Well, no, a lot of schools, for example, don't let their kids play outside unless they're wearing a hat. So would you go kind of one step further?

1:19:08 S11

We would definitely be for it. Just having that extra layer of protection because with hats, they provide good protection, but there's still reflected UV rays getting into the eyes as well.

1:19:20 S2

And the the situation is that the longer you kind of leave it or, you know, the longer you live, the more exposure you have to the sun, the more problematic it can be.

1:19:30 S11

Exactly. Right. So there's that cumulative effect of changes to your cells from consistent UV exposure and prolonged UV exposure, which adds up over time.

1:19:40 S2

Now, is it right that it can actually, you know, I guess maybe not. So unusual circumstances actually lead to, you know, even more serious conditions. Well, I guess listen to your side is serious enough. Don't want to make light of it, but, yeah, even more serious conditions such as cancer. Yes.

1:19:56 S11

Most definitely. So the skin around the eyes is quite thin, and damage to that from UV can lead to melanomas, but also at the back of the eyes. There can be melanomas that develop behind the retina as well, which can spread to the rest of the body and not just being sight threatening. It can be life threatening as well.

1:20:18 S2

Very sobering message, isn't it?

1:20:19 S11

It definitely, yes.

1:20:21 S2

So, so really, I mean, you know, I guess if people are having regular checkups and of course, we know about the... family history and that sort of thing for regular checkups. But if you're kind of okay, as in you haven't got family history, still worth checking out to a Specsavers optometrist and saying, well, look, you know, these are the colour of my eyes. What do you think? And and go from there.

1:20:41 S11

That would be the right thing to do, Peter. So even if you don't have any family history,  you should still be getting your regular eye test done every 12 to 24 months. There's a lot of things that can be picked up which you wouldn't notice in your day to day activity in day to day life, such as early onset of cataracts, if there's early signs of macular degeneration, or even early signs of a potentially life threatening melanoma forming. 

1:21:09 S2

And of course, you know, we all hear about the, you know, the quote unquote, "tsunami" of diabetes that is kind of hitting us as well. So that's another complication as far as eye conditions go.

1:21:19 S11

It is. And that's something that we keep an eye on as well. Keep tabs on it before it gets to a stage where it can potentially cause long term vision loss.

1:21:28 S2

Now, I know there's lots of Specsavers branches around Australia, but I guess also the website is a good starting point too.

1:21:34 S11

That's a very easy point of contact for anyone looking to book in an appointment. You'll be directed to your closest store. Just according to convenience. And it's quite a straightforward process to book in an appointment to get your eyes checked out.

1:21:48 S2

That's the Specsavers dot com...

1:21:50 S11

Specsavers.com.au ...

1:21:53 S2

AU? Terrific. All right. Kalp. Great to talk to you. Thanks for that information. And particularly relevant with, as I say, daylight saving, longer days, and of course, World Sight Day coming up later on in October as well. So all very relevant messages.

1:22:06 S11

Thank you so much for having me Peter.

1:22:07 S2

It's a top show. Their optometrist from Specsavers is a very sobering and important message. A couple of quotes before we go. Peter has set one through the likes of Chris Fagan, who last weekend was the oldest person to coach an AFL premiership side rather appropriate in older Australian celebrations week. So what? Under Chris, Peter's quote from Chris is... If you're skating on ice, you may as well dance on it. So thanks to Peter and Chris for that. And Helen has sent one through. Helen always sends some funny things through. Helene says, I wanted to come up with a carpentry pun. I thought it would work. I thought I'd nailed it, but no one saw it. So thanks to Eileen for sending your quote through. 

Some birthdays before we go. Hans Reimer having a birthday managed Vision Australia radio for a number of years in Adelaide back in the day. So happy birthday to you Hans. Hope things are going well. Meg Lemon having a birthday Paralympic medallist in cycling in France. So happy birthday to you, Meg. Taylor Goss is having a birthday. We spoke to Taylor a couple of weeks ago when she was in Paris, about to compete in Judica. So happy birthday to you, Taylor and David Siegel having a birthday from Paralympics Australia. One of the many people behind the scenes doing a great job as far as arranging interviews for us go. So happy birthday to you, David. 

Also, another big thanks to Disability Media Australia for hosting this program on their Powerd website. Really great to be here. Let's hope we're here for a long time to come. Also big thanks to Sam Rickard. Thank you, Sam, for your help putting the program to air this afternoon, and a huge thanks to Pam Green, as we always do if you're listening through Vision Australia Radio Adelaide coming up very shortly. Vicki Cousins is here with Australian Geographic. In the meantime, be kind to yourselves. Be thoughtful of others, reminding you that Leisure Link is also available on your favorite podcast platform. If you like the program, please tell a friend - we always have room for one more listener. This is Leisure Link on Vision Australia Radio.