Audio
Sports, banking, narcissism, cholesterol and kids
Leisure Link by
Vision Australia2 seasons
16 November 2024
1 hr 26 mins
Varied interviews on disabilities and sports, health and safety, special events and more.
Vision Australia Radio Adelaide's Peter Greco presents this series of diverse interviews - covering sport, arts, recreation, health, social justice and general lifestyle topics - for people of various abilities.
In this edition:
- Brad Dubberley, coach of the Bronze Medal winning Aussie Steelers Wheelchair Rugby team, reflects on the Paris Paralympics and looks to the future.
- Stephen Farrawell, Chair of Special Olympics South Australia, and Toby Sutherland, soccer player and leadership program participant, wraps up the recent State Games.
- Katie Wilson, Marketing Specialist at Australian Disability Network, discusses their "Choose Inclusion" campaign for International Day for People With Disabilities.
- Pam Mitchell, Counsellor, has thoughts about narcissists.
- Stephanie Cole, from Canvasu on behalf of the Reserve Bank, wants to hear from people with blindness or low vision regarding their experiences with using banknotes and digital transactions.
- Andrew Worrall invites all to Kid-x at the South Australian Netball Stadium, Mile End 30 November. This is a free event.
- Brendon Ward, CEO of Swim Australia, looks at alarming new research showing children lack critical floating skill to survive a water incident.
- Tanya Hall, Founder and CEO of Hearts 4 Heart, shares tips to manage high cholesterol - which contributes to almost one in four deaths in Australia.
Resources (including weblinks):
- Choose inclusion Ad with Audio Description
- Australian Disability Networks Choose Inclusion Program
- Pam Mitchell can be contacted by phone on: 0418 835 767
- Canvasu/Reserve Bank Cash survey contact details: Michael, tel. 0461 547 309 or by email
- Kid-X website
- Hearts 4 Heart website
(MUSIC AND ID:) This is a Vision Australia Radio podcast.
00:17 S1
It's just gone 5:00. And as we welcome [?Burma] to our delight, I welcome you to Leisure Link here on Vision Australia Radio. Radio 1197 AM and Adelaide online at varadio.org ... VA Radio Digital in Adelaide and Darwin, through the Community Radio Plus app, or your favourite podcast or streaming service. Peter Greco saying great to be here. Oh, and of course the big cheerio to our friends listening through 103.9 Hope FM in Esperance in Western Australia, and also a big thanks to Australian Disability Media. They also make this podcast possible thanks to their website powered media p o w e r d dot media. This program comes to you from Kaurna land.
Coming to you very very shortly: we'll talk to Brad Dudley, the coach of the Aussie Steelers. He's not long back from Paris. What's it like for a coach's point of view? We'll speak to Toby Sutherland and Stephen Farwell from Special Olympics, their state games over the last couple of weeks. How's it gone? Also, speak to Katy Wilson, who tell us about choice inclusion for the Australian Disability Network for International Day for people with disabilities. Pam Mitchell will join us to talk about narcissists. Okay. We'll look forward to hearing more about that. Stephanie Cole will join us. Looking for your feedback regarding notes, bank notes, how much you use them? Are you happy with the digital system? Stephanie is looking for your feedback.
Also, catch up with Andrew Worrell inviting you to Kid-X. That's coming up on the 30th of November. Your personal invitation via the radio is not far away. Brendan Ward will join us. Some really interesting research concerning research regarding kids and maybe safety in water, particularly swimming with summer. With swimming season coming up and Tanya Hall will join us from heart to heart, that old topic of cholesterol. Tanya will tackle that. (MUSIC)
We've been lucky enough to catch up with other athletes as they've been back from Paris. But let's catch up with one of the coaches, the coach of the mighty Aussie Steelers, Brad Jubilee. Brad, always great. Great to chat. Thanks for your time. Yeah no worries.
02:29 S2
Great. Great to chat to you, mate.
02:30 S1
Now how are you going I know well it's kind of a bit of a heartbreak, and then some of the exhilaration at the end of the tournament. How are you feeling a few months after? Yeah.
02:39 S2
No, it's, it was a funny sort of tournament for us, like, you know, to lose our first game and, you know, that's always makes stuff hard. Like, you know, anxiety around the team and stress, extra stress. And it was also like the what was the tightest competition I've ever been to? I've been involved in since 95. So we've never been to a tournament this close where, you know, seven of the eight teams could win it. But yeah, it was... yeah, super proud of the team to come away with with with some kind of a medal and hardware, you know, like, we had 5 or 6 new players at their first Paralympic Games, which was awesome.
But yeah, you said it was also heartbreak, mate to lose the semi final where we're in that position to beat Japan 15 seconds to go and then. Yeah. But yeah it was, yeah, very proud but also a... different kind of... feeling for our team mate, that's for sure.
03:24 S1
If you replayed that moment a few times in your mind since.
03:27 S2
Unfortunately, I've had to, mate, yeah, well, watch with assistant coaches. We've watched over it a few times and... yeah, like, by no means is anyone's blame or fault, you know? But we all go out to win and, obviously enjoy ourselves, but we'll go out to win. And, you know, for two of our most experienced athletes to make a mistake like that at that sort of time... yeah, it was quite frustrating. But all the kudos goes to Japan as well, mate. Like, they... played fantastic.
03:54 S1
It's very magnanimous. And of course, yeah. Then you got to bounce back and try and play in the third versus fourth, the bronze medal play off. That's probably not an easy thing to do after a disappointment like that.
04:04 S2
Yeah, to be honest, it was... extremely... different for us. Like, you know, it might sound quite cocky, but, you know, we're not too used to playing in a bronze medal game, you know, it's... it was even for myself it was very much unknown, particularly after the heartbreak of losing to Japan like we did. We were all kind of worried how we were actually going to pick ourselves up for that, yeah, well, game. And obviously you want to get yourself up to... get the win and to finish on a high heartbreak sort of loss... to be in that position to, you know, make the final, so, you know, we let it sit for the night and then as we got up in the morning, that's sort of why we, I suppose, turned the focus has sort of been about rose gold.
You know, we all everyone goes there to win gold. Like, only one team comes away with that. And I suppose the team of rose gold, um, obviously it's bronze, but for us, it was a way of just helping us... turn the page and move on to the next day and try and get away with the result. And, yeah, really proud of the team to get the result. Obviously against GB, um, you know, they're the team that won in Tokyo, but also the team that knocked us off in our first game at the tournament. So yeah, it was great to finish on a high.
05:10 S1
Well, that's a great point isn't it. You know they were gold medal defending and of course they beat us in the first round. But we kind of beat them in a match that maybe mattered more.
05:18 S2
Yeah absolutely. You know and as I said, I'm super proud of the entire team to... pick ourselves up after that. Yeah. Heartbreak loss to Japan because it definitely could have went all the way. And we, you know, we had lots of friends and family in the crowd and obviously everyone back home supporting us. And we wanted to make sure we, you know, really, really got the most out of that game and come away with something.
05:38 S1
We had great coverage here in Australia. We were chatting before coming to air and it was really good. And of course we had that... event, that... feature that was on Channel Nine just before the game started. So the team had a high profile. Did you sense the interest back in Australia from... what we were watching?
05:55 S2
Oh yeah. Absolutely. You know, we had a lot of interest on it on our team and going in as world champions and Rugby World Cup champions. And you know our team's always like my I suppose teams to watch uh even globally like you know within our sport. You know we're always one of the favorites at major events. So yeah we knew that we were, you know, we had all that extra attention. But, you know, for us to our guys credit, like, you know, they they obviously enjoyed that. And, we all took that on board. But at the same time, we didn't get to our heads by any means.
You know, we knew what was... you know, we've all been trained for such a long period of time and playing and again, you know, all our friends and family there and back home and all the interest back just back here in Australia was... huge. And we just wanted to really try and capitalise off that and help... the legacy of our program moving forwards to, you know, for us to try and get some new players, men and women... athletes through, there's going to be huge for both short term as we head towards LA, but then a home games in 2015.
06:54 S1
Yeah. Can I ask you about your personal sort of situation at the moment? Do you want to go on or are you going to go on? Are you still thinking about it? Yeah.
07:02 S2
No, absolutely. I have just signed a new contract, too. Fantastic. Yeah. So we're, yeah. Now we're going on... well, at least for the next two years. Like, obviously, you know, we always plan to continue on furthermore. But, yeah, we're sort of... we're in a great position now. Our sport's actually moving from Paralympics Australia to wheelchair Rugby Australia in Thursday. So... it's going to be a great thing for our sport moving forward for us to all be under the same umbrella, you know, from from high performance all the way through to pathway and back up. So a lot of great things are, yeah. Heading... our sport's way as we move forward. So... and one of them, I suppose is, yeah, going from, I guess, full time employment to contract based, like any sort of high performance sport now. So.
But yeah, so just yeah, just about to sign a new contract for two years.... take us to after World Champs. But obviously that's with the intentions of going through to ally and then hopefully to a home game. So my daughter, she's, you know, when I played my first Paralympic Games in Sydney, 2000, I was 19 years old, here in Australia, in Sydney. And, my daughter is always on my case. She's like, Dad, you got to stay until after Brisbane 2032 because she'll be 19 then as well. So they'll be symmetry. So yeah, she loves the symmetry of that. So, but of course obviously everyone wants to, you know, be around to help, help, the sport continue to be successful and grow.
But also the enormous thing to be able to, you know, represent your country here at home. And, we've got a fair few opportunities to those coming up in the next couple of years. So including next year with a big international tournament in... Adelaide, which would be great. Yeah.
08:35 S1
No, we're we're looking forward to that. I mean, the Games in Paris, it gives you a chance to kind of cross-pollinate and just check, chat and check with other coaches and... what they're doing in different sports, kind of a chance for personal growth for you.
08:47 S2
Yeah, absolutely. Paralympic Australia has a great... I suppose, initiative there where we could call connected coaches. So we... chat with all the other Paralympic coaches pretty much fortnightly, yeah. We're in contact a fair bit. Which is really good for obviously the newer coaches coming through to sort of, you know, learn from some of us that have been around for a while, but at the same time we learn from them as well. Yeah, obviously bounce off their energy and excitement and, you know, growth mindset. But at the same time, yeah. Like, you know, I love watching coaches at any sport, even if you don't get anything away from it, just watching coaches operate and how they do things and go about their business is... yeah, there's always something to take from it. So, yeah, it's a it's a great sort of place to be, mate.
09:29 S1
Because that's [?] that kind of for the game. Think, well, the coach must have all the answers, but I guess, you know, hand on heart, there's probably times when you don't have the answers.
09:38 S2
Yeah, absolutely. You know, like, we're a program speaking to myself that loves to be the innovators and, uh, be world leading. And to do that, you're not always going to know the answers. You know, you've got to have some bit of foresight with what you know, you want a trial and why and stuff like that, but... it's a big part of the reason why. Yeah. My assistant coach is, you know, about to go to Japan with their development team because part of he's learning. So he brings a lot of great insights and challenges me with stuff, which helps our whole program grow, you know.
So, but, you know, a lot of cases, you know, we have this mantra about win when it matters most. And so therefore, we try to take a bit of the pressure off with some of the lesser tournaments, and that's more about trying to have that growth and try and learn to challenge ourselves to get better and not sort of be too worried about making some mistakes purely for the focus of making us better, as we move forward. Fantastic.
10:24 S1
And I guess, um, in terms of... the future, as you say, the change next year, that's going to be a positive thing, do you think, kind of getting under the big umbrella?
10:33 S2
Yeah, absolutely. You know, we've... been extremely fortunate and lucky and successful being under Paralympics Australia's uh, you know I suppose leadership for such a long period of time. It's very similar to the Australian Olympic Committee, you know, like it's Paralympics, Australia's more there in terms of like preparing a whole Paralympic program. Whole Paralympic team to go to the Paralympic Games where for us, you know, for us to move outside and be like every other sport really where we're working with our sport directly, will be huge and there's lots of benefits that come with that.
Like both... marketability, like, you know, lots of sponsorships, events and, but really, we're going to take a lot more control of the whole pathway and talent ID and all that sort of stuff. So we have a lot of, as we mentioned, like some events coming up in Adelaide and um, you know, like for nationals next year where we've got a lot of international teams coming in, which would be awesome. But even just. Yeah, again, just like with our development program and... yeah, as we head towards, yeah, all sorts of big events and exciting events here in Australia, as we head towards, um, Brisbane 2032.
11:36 S1
I don't want to sound too crass, but the team is reallyt marketable, isn't it? You've got characters in the team, you've got a great record as far as the team goes over a long period of time that the games exciting, great to watch, great to be at. So it's a kind of easy thing to market, if you like, or a good thing to be able to capitalise on that marketability.
11:53 S2
You know, we do have a great product. And yeah, you know, we've got a lot of good characters in our program and both males and females. You know, one of those mixed little sports. Yeah. that's all embraced. And, you know, look, we're we're obviously there to sort of inspire everybody as well. Like, you know, we're obviously high performance sport and we do it for sport, not necessarily just to inspire, a disability sort of, I suppose, side of things. But at the same time, you know, we have a... product that can very much be right up there with the Matildas and the boomers and the, you know, Australian cricket team, you know, like, doesn't matter whether you're disabled or not.
Like if for us we're a high performance program, very successful marketable. And then as the head coach that's not necessarily my job, but we have a lot of opportunity moving forward to, you know, sponsoring our high performance program will also go a long way down to our grassroots, which is more crucial as we move forwards.
12:46 S1
That's an important thing, Brad. Always great to catch up. Love your energy. Love your enthusiasm. Keep it up. Big congratulations on the new contract and we'll be following the Steelers for a long, long time to come.
12:56 S2
Yeah thank you very much Peter. Always appreciate your support. And yeah all the friends and family and all the general spectators - we love, yeah, all the support we get from everybody. So thank you.
13:05 S1
Rose Gold, I love it.
13:06 S2
Good on you. Thanks, mate.
13:07 S3
Brad Dubberley there, the coach of the mighty Aussie Steelers who have come back with bronze, in quotes "Rose gold" after the Paris Games.
(MUSIC STING)
Well, the Special Olympics State Games have been on over the last couple of weekends. Let's find out how it went and speak to the chair of Special Olympics SA, Stephen Farrawell. Stephen, great to catch up. Thanks for your time.
13:34 S3
Thank you Peter, thanks for the opportunity to talk about it.
13:37 S1
A player and athletes rep. Toby. Toby, how are you?
13:41 S3
I'm good. Thank you. I'm... it's great to be talking to you and yeah, terrific.
13:46 S1
Well, maybe start with you. Give us a bit of an overall view that you had, a couple of weekends. You had an opening statement on a Friday night, then a couple of weekends of competition. What's the kind of wash-up?
13:56 S3
We had over a thousand athletes competing in a variety of games... not just from South Australia. We had some teams over from Victoria as well, Melbourne and Ballarat. We had six sports they could participate in. A few were scheduled, but they were being postponed to earlier next year. We're also hoping to have a team from the Northern Territory, but unfortunately they couldn't make it at the last moment. But... it was a great event, really great.
14:27 S1
Two weekends of athletes living...
14:30 S3
Yes, a thousand athletes. Yeah.
14:32 S1
I mean, I know there's an old cliche about, you know, if you last a long time, it means you must be doing something right. But for a thousand to turn up, that means everyone must be doing something right in [?riding] specialised...
14:42 S3
Definitely in... it's a great opportunity for so many people, and we're hoping to actually build those numbers over the next 12 months. We're looking at running a program in schools to capture kids with an intellectual disability there, and to enable them to participate in sports, so that they there's no difference between them and the other student, so that we're all inclusive and trying to provide as many options as possible in terms of the sports that we offer.
15:15 S1
And that's part of the issue in a sense, isn't it, Steve? Not part of the issue, but part of the good thing about something like this, if more people are involved with physical activity, doesn't matter if you're good, bad or indifferent at it, but at least if you're... out and about, out in the fresh air, moving around, getting some exercise, it's got to be good for you as an individual and indeed society.
15:34 S3
And that's one of the great benefits of Special Olympics is all of those things. Everybody is welcome. We have young children through to... veteran age participants, so it covers the whole spectrum. There are no barriers, no limits. Everyone can participate. And you know, this building those friendships and in particular the self-confidence that it builds in people, they're really important. And having that social interaction with a big group of people and the obvious physical benefits, it's all it's a great package. Yeah.
16:08 S1
Toby, are you playing soccer? Right. How long have you been playing soccer?
16:11 S4
So I've been playing soccer for about six years for his best, so... that's worth about three international games. And it's been very good.
16:21 S1
So you've been away with the team a few times then?
16:23 S4
Oh yeah. So we've done, I've actually been involved with him since 2013 and it's been a fantastic... experience.
16:34 S1
You're a seasoned campaigner, Toby!
16:36 S4
Yes, yeah. Yes. We've been... I cut down the last soccer team, for nationals, and oh, fantastic. That was fantastic. And now I'd like to take him on the SA, for state games, which is fantastic.
16:53 S1
It's probably a hard question in a sense: Why soccer? Have you tried some other sports, you specialise?
16:58 S4
Yes, I'd say I grew up playing. So when I first joined, so we grew up in outback towns. So we are also pretty heavily basketball family. So I grew up with just playing basketball. And then pretty much... later on, I think... it might have been in... 2012, like did won nationals with basketball and then got the sense that I needed to to do something else. I never really tried soccer properly, and... I really knew a few people who were in the soccer program, and I actually really enjoyed it and haven't looked back.
17:37 S1
As long as the ball is round, you're playing. So Toby, where did you grow up?
17:42 S4
So I grew up, so I was born in Tasmania, but also my dad used to be in mining, so we have spent time in country towns or also all over the place... in country New South Wales, country SA, in a small town called Roxby Downs... yeah, yeah. So, spent... a lot of time there and relocated here to Adelaide. And when we relocated, it was just about trying to find an environment that I could really be a part of and feel like I'm a part of something big. And when I came across this, I really wanted to do it.
18:19 S1
So what about in Roxby Downs? It was a bit hard to get opportunities to to play.
18:22 S4
So I was so fortunate because I was like, I was a young kid, when I was in Roxby and I was still... I would like to play the basketball and still play that, but they were, but it was all like against people who didn't have a disability. So pretty much mainstream, our mainstream kids. So there was no real social interaction. None of that real proper.... you know, because I think the way people coach disability can sometimes be a bit different to the way you coach someone else. And I think like... at times like, you know, like I was getting a bit like mixed, [?] with that.
So coming into an environment where, you know, like, you know, like Special Olympics, it was a breath of fresh air because... you know, because everyone got along, everyone was doing the right thing. Everyone was doing that. So it was amazing.
19:18 S1
Stephen, that must make you smile and kind of think, Well, we're certainly doing a good thing. Not not just for Toby, but the likes of Toby and his family... the kind of wider community.
19:27 S3
That's exactly right. And this is a quote from one of the the officials at the soccer game, during the event. And he said, If we were judging this on smiles, we would be winning 100 to 1. And that's exactly what he said. And he was totally right. Everyone is just beaming and happy and enthusiastic. Everyone gets recognition. It's just a wonderful atmosphere and a wonderful feeling. And also bear in mind that all of these activities are run by volunteers. Yeah, the coaches, the whole lot. They are all volunteers. So it's a huge credit to them for the time that they devote to working with all these athletes.
20:12 S1
Anyone that hears that quote puts a smile on their face. Indeed. So Toby, but you're also you said you're a captain of the team, so you obviously show leadership qualities. But are you involved in the athletes leadership program as well?
20:23 S4
Yes I am. I've been involved with that for... about 6 or 7 years. So it's been a great experience and I've learned so much from it.
20:32 S1
How did you get into it, or do you kind of get asked to be how does that happen?
20:35 S4
So we've sort of just started to reboot our SA leadership program. So what happened is when they were looking at the funding, um, we actually got some funding to do this. I was away with the basketball team, and I saw how good I was with him and with all the young kids. One of the old organisations we had there. So he pulled me aside and said, Toby, you'll be a perfect fit for this. And you've got all the right has to be you, sort of... you talk, well, you sort of encourage you. I definitely watch of, I think we need and so yeah. So I've been doing it just for... about six years.
21:16 S1
You're really good with the young kids because you're really an old person, aren't you, Toby.
21:20 S4
Yeah, definitely. And so... [LAUGHS] Yeah. Yeah.
21:25 S1
That's fantastic. Toby, [?after your mum] asking, what do you do away from sport with their involvement in Special Olympics. What do you do?
21:32 S4
So involvement in the Special Olympics. Obviously we have the athlete leadership program, which I am heavily involved in. It sort of has been a great thrill. I've loved every minute of it. Um, I also sit on the state state committee, um, alongside Stephen, which is great. Um, I enjoy being the being the voice for the athletes and also I enjoy and also there's, there's a few other committees that I sit in and out of. These are the Special Olympics too.
22:04 S1
You should consider politics too heavy. But don't let me influence you. Stephen, that must be really important to get the athletes opinion. I mean, we hear so much these days about, you know, people with disabilities being represented with the lived experience, rather than just saying that we think we know what you need. That's on a...
22:26 S3
What Toby... is all about. Working at a grassroots level. and my first priority is building a really good connection with the sport. Actually with them in person though, because the last committee meeting, I feel I can't make a decision on their behalf if I don't know what their issues, needs, etc. are. So for me, it's all about being really strongly connected, having good communication so that we actually make the right decisions. So that's my mantra in terms of how I want to run the committee... and how we work with them at their level, as in being involved with what they do. So I know what they're doing, have opportunities to communicate with them and their parents and carers.
You know, there's a whole range of issues to be considered with Special Olympics. It's not just playing the game, it's a lot of other stuff in the background. Well, they should be aware of yet...
23:28 S1
Very important. So 2024 is nearly over. Now the next. The nationals are in 26 other and then World Games in 27. Where are we?
23:37 S3
World Games in 27. Nationals in 26 at the moment. Haven't made a final decision, but there's saw indications that it will be in Victoria. But we're just waiting for that to be finalised.
23:50 S1
Well, I'm happy to hold the Special Olympics. I don't care if they ditch the Commonwealth Games. They don't comment on that because you'll get yourselves into trouble. Like, let me do that for you. Hey, Toby and Stephen, thank you so much for speaking to us. I'm so sad we're out of time. But, Toby, I'm sure this won't be the last time we speak. Congratulations on how you conduct yourself and the great role you're playing, both on field and more importantly, in a sense, off field. We really appreciate that. And Stephen, thanks for your time. We really appreciate it. And good luck. We'll we'll keep in touch. It's always great to catch up with specialized on this program.
24:22 S3
Greatly appreciated. Thank you. Thank you.
24:24 S1
That's Toby Sullivan there. they're a very impressive young person who is involved with soccer and also the leadership program. And Stephen Farwell, the chair of Special Olympics here in South Australia. Bit of a wrap up of the recently held state games on the Eastern Australia Network through your favorite podcast service on 1190 7 a.m. in Adelaide. You're listening to leisurely.
(PROGRAM ID AND MUSIC)
International Day for People with Disabilities coming up December 3rd. Let's find out about the Australian Disability Network and their Choose Inclusion campaign with the head of marketing Katy Olsen. Hello, Katy.
25:00 S5
Hello, Peter. How are you?
25:02 S1
I'm very well. How much are you looking forward to the day. And you've kind of already got things in place, haven't you? Got things up and running?
25:07 S5
Yes, yes we do. Very excited about International Day of People with disability coming up. It's a big event for us at Australian Disability Network. We are the peak body for disability inclusion in the workplace, and we work with our 460 plus member orgs who employ around 2.5 million people, or around 18% of Australia's workforce, and given over 5.5 million Australians live with disability. There are a lot of those people, a lot of those employees who live with disability, and we're really trying to remove barriers that limit their employment and career advancement so that they have huge opportunities and are able to work in really inclusive workplaces.
25:47 S1
So I guess there's those that just kind of either work in the disability sector or kind of live with the disability. We kind of all know, but we've got to try and spread the message a bit wider than that.
25:56 S5
Yes, absolutely, absolutely. And that's a little bit what we're trying to do with our 2024 campaign, which is around choosing inclusion. So our campaign is really focusing on the social model of disability. I don't know if you know much about the social model of disability, Peter.
26:10 S1
I'm happy to hear your version.
26:13 S5
(LAUGHS) So essentially it's the idea is that society actually creates barriers to inclusion. And if we can remove those barriers, then everybody's included people with disability and people without.
26:25 S1
It's a very powerful message, isn't it? I mean, I can't, as I said, does this kind of get it? We kind of do get it, but I guess I don't think it's bloody-mindedness or people that don't want to do it. I think often it's because people don't know or aren't quite sure how to go about to be inclusive, to choose to be inclusive?
26:42 S5
Yeah, I think you're right, Peter. And I think also there are elements of fear about getting it wrong. And that's one of the reasons, though, as part of our campaign, we've launched this. Absolutely. And I am a little bit biased about this, but absolutely fantastic short film called It's Not Hard to Be Inclusive. Yeah. We worked with a couple of amazing disability advocate comedians, Madeleine Stewart and Sam Wade, who are just hilarious. And we're the reason we've kind of worked with those... two comedians is that we want to use humour to deliver really serious messages about workplace inclusion, because when you add in a little bit of a laugh, it makes things a little bit easier and a lot less scary.
27:20 S1
That is such a cool name for it, or a cool title for a film, isn't it? Because it kind of does... you know, it does kind of lessen or minimise any anxiety or any hesitation about it.
27:31 S5
Absolutely, absolutely. And there are some very funny one-liners in the in the film. I won't ruin it for you. I will encourage everyone to jump online and watch it. But some of the things they're talking about are the benefits of employing people with disability, how big the uncapped workforce is, and how easy it is actually just to remove those barriers and supporting the film, the short film, we're also creating a whole range of free resources that people can download from our website. And they're all around things like, how can you remove barriers really easily around creating inclusive communications? Dignified access. So dignified access is all about making access to the workplace really easy.
So things like including check in, desk check in counters, at multiple heights as you walk into a building or making sure you've got stairs and ramps and things like that. And then we've also got free resources on inclusive recruitment, workplace adjustments and also how to have an inclusive attitude.
28:32 S1
So it's very much a holistic approach, which I guess is what is needed, isn't it? It's not sort of one little area that can be it. It can be right across the board as far as a company or an organisation goes.
28:42 S5
Yeah, absolutely. And I think the other thing to understand is that you don't have to do everything all at once. I think... everybody understands that building disability confidence is it can be a journey and that we're also all humans and it's okay to make a mistake. I think as long as everybody is trying to do the right thing and starting with small steps, which is, what we have provided in a lot of our fact sheets, our free downloadable fact sheets. You can start by just doing one thing today and it will snowball from there.
29:12 S1
Building disability confidence - I like that phrase.
29:14 S5
Yes, I love it too. I love it.
29:16 S1
Too. That's going in my memory bank. I'm going to pull it out. And if I think of it, I'll credit you, Katie. If not, I'll take all the credit myself. Actually... and it's also important because, I mean, everyone's doing it tough these days. Cost of living, both for individuals and organizations. So when things are made available free, that's got to be a good thing as well. So you're not saying this is a secret or we've got the secret. You've got to pay for it. It's here. It's free. Come and access it.
29:42 S5
Absolutely, absolutely. If you jump onto our website at Australian Disability Network org, you you can download our free all of these free fact sheets. You can also access the short film. We've also got a media kit. If anyone wants to share a little I choose inclusion post on their LinkedIn or their socials. And yeah, very cool, very easy to do. And we're also encouraging everyone to share their own inclusion stories on social media. So if you've got a different tip than we do around how to make your communications more inclusive. Then share a little story online, on LinkedIn or on Instagram or or X or Twitter or whatever it's called now... (LAUGH) and use the hashtags Choose inclusion and Remove barriers.
30:31 S1
All right. Lovely phrases again. And you can kind of almost make a like a bit of friendly rivalry. You know, I'm more inclusive than you are.
30:39 S5
Oh I love that, Peter. I think you need to come and work with us.
30:42 S1
Oh, you couldn't afford me, Katie. And I must also say, and I, you've mentioned the film a couple of times, and we've got the information about the film or the link to the film, and we can put that up on our show notes. But the other great thing or another great thing about the film, and I guess we'd expect it, is it's audio described as well. So for someone who might be blind or have low vision, you get a chance to sort of fully participate. But also for those that mightn't be aware, you get a bit of an idea of experiencing what audio description is as well.
31:11 S5
Yes, that is a great point, Peter. I love the audio description version. It's it's actually really interesting to to turn the vision off and actually just listen to the film. It's actually quite it's yeah, it's actually really beautiful. And you still get lots of the humor. It's just, it's very cool and it's interesting to put that different, different hat on, I think, and experience something else.
31:32 S1
And I think, you know, comedy and art as well. In a sense, it's a great way to kind of get the message across. Like, you don't necessarily want to be lectured or preached in a situation like this, but if you can use things like humor and examples or as I say, even friendly rivalry, those sort of things can kind of really accelerate and accentuate the the message that you're getting across.
31:52 S5
Yeah, absolutely. I think comedy is a great remover of barriers. It puts everybody on a bit of a level playing field, and it also brings humour and makes light of a situation that can sometimes be uncomfortable to talk about. If you if you don't know if you're doing or saying the right thing, if people have a have a bit of a laugh about it, it makes it a lot easier.
32:13 S1
So who are you aiming your kit at, Katie? Across the board. I mean, you're being inclusive as far as your choose inclusive message goes.
32:19 S5
Yes, absolutely. Everybody can access all of these materials. Obviously we do work with employers across Australia, and we highly encourage all of our... member organisations and every Australian, every Australian organisation who employs any individuals, we encourage them to jump on board. Um, but also if you're an individual and you want to choose inclusion, then please shout out about it loud and loudly and proudly. You can download all of our resources and the free media kit in the social post, examples, etc. everything is there for free on our website.
32:50 S1
And if you run a little business or you know, a kind of a small enterprise, you can benefit as well by being a little bit more inclusive. We often talk about the fact that 20% of the population identifies with living with a disability. Well, if you can include those as well, it can help your bottom line, and that's pretty important as well.
33:09 S5
Absolutely, absolutely. There are so many benefits to employing people with disability, so absolutely go for it. Every organisation in Australia should be choosing inclusion.
33:20 S1
Katie, fantastic message. Now how can we find out more? Where can we go. And we'll put this information up in our show notes. But, just while people are listening at the moment, how can we find out more? Yep.
33:29 S5
Yep. Visit our website Australian Disability Network dot org dot a-u - and you can easily jump into the resources tab. You can find the link there, or you can follow us on LinkedIn at Australian Disability Network or on Instagram again at Australian Disability Network. And we will be sharing all of our resources across all of those channels in the lead up to International Day on December 3rd.
33:52 S1
You're everywhere. Almost everywhere. Katie, great to catch up. Great message. Thank you for us sharing some time with us.
33:59 S5
Magic. Thank you so much, Peter.
34:01 S1
That's Katie Wilson, the head of public relations at Australian Disability Network. With that inclusion message, such an important message with December 3rd Three. Coming up fast.
34:14 S6
Hey, guys. My name is Tiana Taylor. I'm a member of the Australian Aussie Belles Paralympic goalball team. And you're listening to Leisure Link with Peter Greco on the Vision Australia radio network.
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34:41 S1
It's time to catch up with our resident counsellor, Pam Mitchell, who always chooses interesting topics. No pressure, but I think this might be one of the most interesting. Pam, welcome.
34:51 S7
Peter, good morning and good afternoon to everybody out there that is listening in. Always beautiful to connect once a month with you all. Yeah. We have an interesting topic today, don't we, Peter?
35:04 S1
It's an interesting topic. Pam. Lead me right out of this. I'm just listening. I'm a spectator.
35:09 S7
I could really catch my self in a storm here this morning. So we're going on carbon neutral there, I think. Yes. I'm thinking of our recent, uh, overseas election in... uppermost areas of my mind this morning because my topic is narcissistic behaviour. Woo hoo! And just coming out of hearing the US election results. And I'm sure if anyone has been in doubt what narcissistic behaviour looks like, I think if you just run one of the videos, you'll have a sense of awareness.
It is where someone has possibly rather what feels like... a large ego and need to actually be quite obvious about that. Very opinionated in public, needing a lot of adulation as well as self self-isolation with a lot of adulation and in a public setting, quite... demonstrative in the way people actually want to put across their wealth, their generosity. And yet the... conversely, in their own environment, they can be quite, even mean about that, quite guarded about their wealth.... very self-driven and... keeping things close to their chest.
In narcissistic behaviour, we see how that turns in private life, for those people to want to apportion blame for things that possibly has been quite clear, that it has not been the fault of the partner or the family member, but it is assumed by the person with the narcissistic behavior, that that person was the instigator of that and not themselves and or the following day, they will, if they're reminded that it was them, they will take no accountability for that. And re-apportion the fact that it was the other person's blame, to take accountability for.
So it it is not a very nice trait to have. And what I would say, I think it's becoming a little bit of an overused term, and I wonder whether people are listening in today have noticed that themselves. You know, how we sometimes just get... stuck on a label, stuck on a way of being, a buzzword and, you know, one of those things to mine, I'm often hearing gaslighting now. Gaslighting, in its... real definition, is quite destructive. It also goes into narcissistic behavior gaslighting. But when we take a brand, a name, and we use it, I think we need to be really mindful of when and how we use it, because it it does have very serious outcomes.
And it is not just a form of behavior. Narcissism is actually a mental health-listed disorder and it's called Narcissistic Personality Disorder. And that really exists in a survey a national an international survey. We know that it is more prevalent in men, 75% more present in men than women... is one of the latest statistics of that. That doesn't mean to say 75% on the planet have narcissism. It just means if you have narcissism, 75% are more likely to be in that mental health disorder.
It can be treated. It needs a mental health support. So it would need a diagnostic person in terms of a psychologist and or a psychiatrist, to help that person in bringing awareness to that, and being able to alert them to how that's affecting them and the people around them, and to be able to work with them in some form of... living standards, boundary issues, being able to be more effective at diagnosing, being alert to this themselves. So they learn not to walk into that situation where they allowed that personality trait to overcome and overwhelm them such that they can't stop it.
And that does take someone that is... used to being in the world of diagnosing and being able to help that person see that. So they would need a psychologist or a psychiatrist to work with them and to identify with them. And in terms of people that are probably not quite at that level but are having traits of this... I think what's important to say this morning in my research in building for this program this morning, is that I was interested to see where it begins and what we're looking at now. So much the prevalence of bullying, and how this is affected in schools and earlier childhood behavior. And yes, there are many articles that show us clearly that the narcissistic behavior is, and can be predetermined in those earlier years where people are actually prone to bullying and things at adolescent years.
It also is exemplified, no surprises here, with social media. There is so much more given to publicity around incidents like of bullying, etc. in the workplace, in schools... young primary schools as well as teenage years. And that's that walks right into narcissism, because those people that view those are real after and those clips and seeing themselves as being this person of... note and publicity are possibly even more... what's the word, involved in liking what they see because they've seen themselves as this strong person, and it's not at all a decent quality. As we know.
I'm reading this morning in the papers about just the number of teachers that we're aware of that are in schools where there is a large proportion of of activity where police are called, etc. because of the incidents in schools, and then it gets splashed all over social media. People that are victims of bullying in schools... they splash and and take themselves. And someone stands there with the, the phone which they're now trying to not let them have such access to in school, as we can see that stat already decreasing that's being published in the last couple of days, how that is decreasing even in this time frame, minimal time frame where they've stopped their children having access to their phones during school time.
However, it still does exist. And where this is splashed over our media, that works right into people that have those narcissistic qualities. It is very hard to live with people that have these traits if we're not aware they're happening, and... because we can sometimes turn that inwards on ourselves, and we feel that we must be blame, I must have done that, Oh, I've upset him. I've upset her. Oh, I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I should have been more aware that that was not what he wanted. This is... what they will feed off. It's a feeding frenzy. The disempowering, the power of disempowering another.
So it is really important that those people that live in families where this trait is, and especially if you're the partner of that, that you actually work towards setting boundaries and you set consequences for boundaries, things that you won't accept, things that you won't turn inward on yourself, taking care of your own emotional resilience. Being aware that you can also consider professional help in the support of that. Knowing when your time... is not available to be open and subjected any more of this behavior. Many people that live with partners like that are continually embarrassed when they're in public via this other behavior.
These people also have tendencies to be involved in addiction. They have a need to have money, so they're involved often in gambling - anything to support this position of growing their power. So whether you have it and you need to go and check on it to see if in fact this is true, because you've been told a few times in your family this is unacceptable. Maybe your loved one has left you or said they will leave you and you think, Oh my gosh, I didn't think this was this serious, so you're going to go and get some help hopefully, and or you are the partner or a victim of this behavior in your living family and you're reaching out for help.
When is enough enough? When do you need to seek extra help, either as the person that is doing it, or the person who is the receiving the consequence of living with it? So we start off on a... I guess, a more fun note of what we've seen in politics, but we also end on possibly more a serious note - that if in doubt, check it out. And this is not something, if you are the victim of receiving this behavior, that you should be sitting with and thinking that it's your fault. There is much more that can be done for self-preservation than enduring this behavior.
45:27 S1
And think of that. That was wonderful as always. 0418 835 767 if people would like to contact you, a counselor by profession - and we should point out, good news for us is that you'll be here for our last show of the year with your very popular and, well, time honored Christmas message. So we'll catch you in a month.
45:46 S7
We certainly won't have narcissistic qualities in that will be much lighter.
45:50 S1
Thanks, Pam. Thanks. There you have it. At this time, the third week of each month, 0418 835 767, should you wish to contact Pam.
46:00 S8
You're listening to Vision Australia Radio in Adelaide on 1197 AM.
46:11 (PROGRAM ID)
Welcome aboard the Leisure Lift. Please select your floor.
46:23 S1
A really interesting survey is taking place at the moment to find out how you interact, particularly with cash and notes. Let's chat about it from a canvas view. Stephanie Cole, who is doing this research on behalf of the reserve Bank. Stephanie, lovely to meet you. Thank you. Time.
46:38 S9
Thank you very much, Peter.
46:40 S1
That's what you're doing and how you're going about doing it.
46:42 S9
We're reaching out to the vision impaired community to find out what their experiences are with Australia's banknotes, what they think of the new batch of notes that were introduced from 2016 and had been slowly introduced over the past sort of five or so years. We're wanting to find out what their experiences have been with counterfeit banknotes, and what their cash use preferences are. So whether they prefer like, digital payments, what the hurdles may be when it comes to paying for things, what they like about the notes, what they don't like about the notes, and then all of this data will then help the RBA, the Reserve Bank of Australia, make informed decisions about their future policy direction regarding various aspects of Australian banknotes.
47:43 S1
This is the fact that the Reserve Bank is kind of saying, Okay, what do you guys who are blind have low vision? What's your experiences? What do you think? So they're kind of consulting, because often we hear about decisions being made and well, no one asked us. Well here's a chance for people to give their feedback.
48:00 S9
Absolutely. It's so important that the vision impaired community voice is heard and well represented in government research. If you don't tell them, they may not understand what you need, what your preferences are when it comes to handling banknotes and electronic payments. So this study is really important - so that we can help them get it right.
48:24 S1
Now I've actually been lucky enough to do this survey. I did it with you actually. What, took 10 or 15 minutes, I guess?
48:30 S11
Yeah, around about 15. I don't want to say ten, just in case people are time poor. And the more you want to say about it, the longer this will take. But...
48:43 S9
I'm happy to listen to you. We're happy to include all of your feedback. There are questions where the answers are pretty short and sharp, and we just have to tick a box yes or no type thing. But then there are other questions where we can type out what your feedback is, what your experiences and thoughts are.
49:05 S1
So things like, for example, have you used cash lately or do you use it all the time, or do you prefer to use the digital system? How accessible is the digital system? Things like that.
49:16 S9
Yeah, yeah. What you like about the bank notes, what you don't like about them, what new features like, you know, give you security and make you feel... more secure about the... denomination that you're actually using that you're like, receiving... questions about vendors accepting cash only... how like, you know, what percentage you sort of use cash versus electronic and then talking also about the future of different bank accounts and access points to either cash or to electronic payments. So the survey is really interesting. Our interviewers are lovely. They're very personable, very understanding, very patient. We speak to all kinds of people, lots of different kinds of people, different backgrounds. So... the interviewee experience is... fun. It's nice. Yeah.
50:20 S1
Well, I found it fun. And it's important to note that you're not asked personal questions like, how much money do you have or how do you spend or anything like that. So it's easy to interface.
50:30 S9
Yes, yes. We're not going to be asking, where do you hide your money? You know, nothing like that though. But this study is about habits and feedback and thoughts on Australian banknotes... and how consumers of all walks of life, how they prefer to pay for things and what challenges they may come up against.
50:57 S1
Yes, if we're going around Australia on the Vision Australia radio network. So to many states and of course through the internet all around the world, is it just people, is it just for people in Australia? Is it just for people in any particular state? How does that work?
51:11 S9
No, no no... this study is a national study. It's available to all Australian residents. So you don't have to have been born in Australia, but you just need to be living in Australia.
51:25 S1
Alright. And what about as far as how you do the survey? We did it. You and I did it over the phone and we spoke over the phone. Is that the way that's going to be done for everyone?
51:34 S9
Yes, yes. So... I'm going to share the contact details so that... your listeners can reach out to us, and then once they've reached out to us, they can either call us, they can text us, they can email us, or... and Michael will be taking those... calls, texts and emails. And he will either like, you know, book in and... interview time that's convenient to the listener and then call them back. Or if both parties are free at that time, they may just even jump in and get started right away on it. So... we'll be running this for probably another week. We have a certain amount of, of surveys that we need to achieve.
So depending on how fast your listeners react to it and call us or text us or email us, I'm predicting this is going to be running until the end of next week. So what would that be like, the 23rd or something? 20... Yeah, around about then. So it would be great if they could reach out sort of over, you know, over the next couple of days Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. That'd be great.
52:56 S1
All right. Give us the details and we'll put them up on our show notes as well. And we'll circulate it through various other means. So hopefully you get a nice broad cross-section of the year because that's very important as well.
53:08 S9
It is. It is. We want to make sure that all areas are being represented, because also keep in mind that the remote areas may have more challenges with internet, with connection and things like that. So the way that their behaviors that may be very different from the behaviors of a city slicker.
53:26 S1
Exactly. All right. What are the details? Steph, would you like to give us who we ring or who we text or who we email?
53:32 S9
Absolutely. So, Michael, he also goes by the name of Mikey. Mikey's number is 0461 547 309. So that's 0461 547 309. And his email is Michael - m i c h a e l - at canvasu - so that's c a - n for November - V for Victor - A - S for Sierra - U for uniform. So canvasu dot com dot a-u.
54:13 S1
Steph, lovely to have met you the other day. Thank you for sharing that with us today and let's hope that you get a good feedback. Because as I said at the beginning, it's important that, you know, people try and do these sort of... surveys rather than, you know, have people dictating to them what they want. So let's say that the voice of the people speaks, and we'll be interested to see. Well, just on that, do you know what happens to this information? Will we get a chance to find out? Or do you know much about that?
54:39 S9
So... they, won't be releasing a public data study, but I understand that... when the future policies are made. So further into the probably next year or so, when you see and hear stories about new banknotes or trends of how people purchase and how they interact with Australian banknotes and e-payments, that information will be based on this current study.
55:12 S1
All right. We're shaping the future. Steph, great to catch up with you. Thank you so much for your time again. And we'll put those details up so people can access them and hopefully respond.
55:22 S9
That's fabulous Peter. Thank you very much and for your collaboration with this. And we really look forward to hearing from your listeners.
55:30 S1
Terrific. Thanks, Steph.
55:31 S9
Thanks, Pete. Bye.
55:32 S1
Definitely call there from a canvas view you during that research on behalf of the Reserve Bank of Australia.
55:39 S10
Hi, I'm Denise Wood from USC, one of Queensland's universities, with a strong commitment to accessibility and inclusion. And I enjoy being with you and talking about accessibility in technology. Each month on leisure link with Peter Greco on Vision Australia Radio.
56:00 S1
Well, coming up on the 30th of November is Kid-Ex. Let's find out all about it and speak to their business development manager, Andrew Warrell. Andrew, great to have you on board. Thank you for your time.
56:10 S11
That's okay. Thanks, Peter. Yeah, and thanks for the opportunity to promote Kid-ex. Now in its ninth year it's been building. So Kim Jones Exhibitions is managing it this year. So we're sort of hoping to get a really good crowd along. We've got lots happening. We've got the Try-Sports so people can come along and try wheelchair basketball, tennis, there's inclusive soccer and pickleball by one culture support. We've got things like a jump, right? Slide for the kids, soft play area. We've got Santa and Mrs. Claus coming along from 10:30 to 12. So getting that time of year the Christmas right. Yeah. So lots of stuff on the stage as well with the interactive stuff.
56:58 S1
Well, it sounds like there's plenty there to look forward to. Now it's November the 30th. Whereabouts is this all taking place?
57:03 S11
So it's at the Netball Stadium, Mile end. So we've got free parking, free entry to the event. So it's a really inexpensive day out for parents and young people.
57:14 S1
So who said that? As you said, you're not... you, I think we've spoken about it ever since it got underway, but always new listeners tuning in and, who's it kind of aimed at? What sort of age group?
57:24 S11
So it's from young children right through to teens and adolescents. So it's available really for any young person living with a disability. So lots of service providers, their podiatrists, all that sort of thing. Wheelchairs? yeah. Lots of stuff like that.
57:43 S1
Well, I guess one of the benefits of something like this, Andrew. And I guess that's one of the reasons it was kind of set up, is particularly if you're a parent, you get the diagnosis or you find that you have a child with a disability. There's so much to process and so many places where you can go or could go, or so many rabbit warrens where you can go down, where with something like kids, you've got to kind of one stop shop, at least as far as information gathering goes.
58:08 S11
Absolutely. All under one roof, over 120 providers, service providers there. So yeah, lots of choice to talk to people. You know, go have a have a think about it, have a coffee, have something to eat, come back and talk to them a bit more. We've got a service guide that we're giving out to people as well. So even after the day, you can do your follow up stuff as well.
58:33 S1
That's a great point, isn't it? Because, you know, having said that, it's one stop shopping or it's all in one place. There's still a lot to take in and to kind of digest it all over a period of time. It's great if you can take away a pamphlet or, you know, some websites that you can look up later as well.
58:49 S11
Absolutely. So obviously the providers on the day were providing their stuff, but the service guide gives you all the contact details, phone numbers, websites, etc. for you to come back and do a bit more research later on.
59:02 S1
Has that been sort of putting it all together? I guess they've repeated time. You've had those that keep coming back, and maybe at the same time you get new people thinking, oh yeah, that was pretty cool. I'd like to be involved this year.
59:13 S11
Absolutely. So we've probably got about half of the exhibitors who are new to CCDC. So it's good. So it's a bit of a refresh and a renewal. So there's some quite interesting people come out. So we've got places like the Adelaide Airport who have got their inclusive program now, where I know a couple of weeks ago they invited people to come to the airport and children who were a bit apprehensive about flying. They had their support dog there. They escorted people onto the plane to show them how the process was, and they were there on the day to talk to about that. Yeah, which is a bit different.
59:51 S1
That's such a great point because, I mean, there's more to life than just what goes on in the home. As you say, if you want to go away with your family for holidays and go to the airport, might be a bit of an anxious time. Those little things can make a big deal of difference when it comes to, you know, having the best bang for your buck as far as your time away goes.
1:00:09 S11
Absolutely. And lots of organisations that are offering school holiday programs, respite as well, you know, which is important.
1:00:19 S1
Now fantastic. What about as far as the cost goes? It's all free as in to enter, and is the car park free as well?
1:00:25 S11
Yeah. So it's free car parking. Free entry. The only thing that maybe if you want to buy some lunch, that's the only thing that's... going to be a charge on that. So, yes, all the entertainment is free there. Yeah. So I think it'd be a really interesting, fun day out for families and their young people. And we encourage everybody to come down on the Saturday of the 30th to come and have a look. Come and have a try. Come and have a play.
1:00:52 S1
What about as far as booking goes, and do people need to book or can just rock up on the day?
1:00:57 S11
No, well, if people want more information they can go to k-j-e-x dot com dot a-u ... but no, they can just come on down and... from 9:30 in the morning till 4.
1:01:09 S1
All right. And I'm sure we'll chat to a couple of the exhibitors next week to give another push along. So the details again, let's kind of wrap it up with... the venue and also the time. And then also if people do want to find out more, where they can go.
1:01:25 S11
So Netball SA Stadium at Mile End, just near the big Bunnings there at Mile End. Turn off there. Saturday the 30th of November from 9:30 to 4. If you want further details, look on our website k-j-e-x dot com dot a-u.
1:01:42 S1
We'll put that up with our show notes Andrew, so that people can also check it out there. And of course, you know, it's not too far from the city. Also, public transport is pretty prevalent in their area. So, you know, there's kind of no excuse for people not to be there.
1:01:55 S11
Absolutely. Come on down.
1:01:57 S1
Andrew, look forward to catching up with some exhibitors next week or so. Have a great time November 30th.
1:02:03 S3
Fantastic. Thanks, Peter.
1:02:04 S1
That's Andrew - Andrew's, the business development manager for the kid that's coming up on November 30th. More details up on our show notes. And as always, if you missed any details, you can always give us a call here at the radio station.
(PROGRAM ID) 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.
S1
Let's welcome to the program Brendan Ward, who is the CEO for Swim Australia. Now you look after teachers and instructors, coaches as far as swimming goes and some concerning news regarding particularly youngsters. Brendan, thanks for your time and appreciate you speaking to us.
1:02:47 S12
Thanks, Peter. Really great to be on board.
1:02:49 S1
Now, this is a very concerning bit of statistics that you've come up with in terms of youngsters and maybe their inability to float in an emergency situation?
1:02:59 S12
Yeah, that's right. We do an annual survey of of parents, we call it the Swim Safer Report. And a staggering 44% of parents are not confident that their child has got the water safety skills to handle an emergency. So that's sent us... kind of shivering, really. In fact, almost half of the parents rated their children's ability to float as either poor or average. And, you know, of course, I think we all know that floating is an essential survival technique, regardless of whether you're in an emergency or not. And so I guess that really kind of sent us into a spin heading into summer. And we thought, We need to get this out there and we need to try and, I suppose spread the message if you if your kids can't do that, if they're not in swimming lessons, then that's something that you absolutely need to think about.
1:03:46 S1
Is that the issue kids not being in swimming lessons? I mean, coaches, teachers, they're kind of well equipped to be able to kind of distribute the information or to... impart the information?
1:03:56 S12
Yeah, look, I think I think that is the case. We send our kids to school to learn English and maths and science. And we rely on professionals to do that. And I think the same is, uh, is said with water safety. You know, learning to swim is an essential life skill. It doesn't just create, uh, Ariarne Titmus and Emma McKeons of this world. It also allows you to participate in all sorts of activities in the water. But, you know, the danger is anyone could fall into any body of water at any time. And so having that confidence and competence to be in the water is just critical for everyone living in Australia.
1:04:34 S1
Sadly, there are too many news bulletins where you hear of... any person of any age, you know, either falling into the water or being swept off rocks, or in situations where perhaps if they'd had some... you know, training in this area that that may have been avoided.
1:04:49 S12
Yeah, that is... absolutely right. And, you know, I think I think as I said, it's a... we call it an accidental immersion. And many of the drownings that happen, the person had no intention of being in the water at all. But, you know, of course, there are equally as many people that go to somewhere like... St Kilda Beach and, and, you know, might get knocked over or, you know, out of their depth or whatever else and don't know what to do. And so, you know, I think, I think just this whole learn to swim area is just so important. And that's why we've we've come out and said we honestly believe that everyone needs to get lessons as quickly as possible.
1:05:27 S1
When I read this, Brenda, one of the things I thought of was, okay, maybe if you can learn to float is one thing, but in an emergency or under pressure, would you still think of that? Or is that part of the training, part of the teaching that goes on in this area?
1:05:41 S142
It is part of the teaching and it is definitely something that you should think about. You know, anyone that ends up in the water unintentionally, or out of their comfort zone should absolutely think about, Hang on, what do I do here? You know, take a deep breath, calm yourself, lie back in the water, maybe extend your arms and legs out nice and wide so you get some good balance. Rotate your arms and legs so that you... that's called an active float, so that you're actually propelling yourself either forwards or up out of the water. And then, you know, if you do need it, signal for help - so someone can come and give you that assistance. But you know, that first step, that taking stock, that being calm and controlled is absolutely a learned thing.
1:06:24 S1
And beaches and pools, they're pretty well supervised in terms of people there that can help if if, you know, if you can kind of try to... survive long enough?
1:06:33 S12
There are a number of pool lifeguards and surf lifeguards around the country and in particular in in the Melbourne area. But... not every beach is patrolled, not every, you know, for instance, there are no lifeguards at home, swimming pools, or in lakes and dams. And so, you know, this is something that that's really important for everyone.
1:06:52 S1
If they're the right age for a youngster or parents to be thinking about a youngster, that may be to undertake some swimming lessons.
1:06:59 S12
Well, look, we never we say it's never too young to start. We've got we've got people in lessons from six months old learning some good water familiarisation and good habits. You know, for instance, I know that kids as young as six months or probably 18 months to two years of age know that they can't get in the water unless the appearance are with them, or at least they've got their swimming-specific clothing on, those sorts of things. But, you know, ideally in terms of that skill acquisition, it's those kindergarten, preschool, early primary school years, which are so important. You know, that's where we build the foundation skills and knowledge and that's that's the most important age in terms of learning water safety and... how to swim.
1:07:38 S1
And the confidence as well as kind of not being afraid, which I guess in a sense is the same thing... but that competence and competence, if you like, of being in the water?
1:07:45 S13
Yes. That's right. You know, I think a lot of kids get to a certain age, maybe 5 or 6 years of age, where their imagination runs wild and they don't want to get in the water because they're afraid of of, you know, things that might be in there. And so, you know, again, if you start them nice and early that you get over that and you give them the confidence to be in the water as well as the competence to do the things that they need to do.
1:08:06 S1
Brendan, we go around Australia on the Australia Radio Network and obviously through the internet, people can pick us up anywhere. I guess you're not just talking about people living in coastal areas. They're close to the beach or close to a river because there are, as you say, pools in inland towns and cities and lakes and also dams, etc..
1:08:25 S13
I think 99% of Australians live near some form of water. It's not just coastal, it's, you know, as you say, the rivers, the creeks, the dams, the lakes, the even the... bathtub in the house, you know. Yeah. You know, I think it's just so critical. And, you know, I think if people are wanting to be involved, you know, Swim Safer Week is all about that focused attention on water safety and learning to swim. We've got a wonderful website which is Swim Safer, dot org dot a-u ... And we've got a swim school finder on there, but also a whole bunch of great tips for parents if they can't get their kids into lessons.
1:08:57 S1
All right, well I'll give those details before we wrap up. And of course, this message in a sense, as you say, becomes a bit louder, a bit more relevant with the season of summer moving on, and not just the season of summer, but of course, but school holidays. A lot of schools might have already broken up or... you know, in that process. So, you know, people are going to be wanting to get out and about and enjoying the waters, Aussies tend to do.
1:09:20 S13
Yeah, look, I think it's not just about summer. It's also about the the global warming. You know, the temperature here and hotter as the temperatures across summer do soar. We see people taking relief in water and and trying to call themselves down. So it's just absolutely essential.
1:09:35 S1
Brendan I detect a little bit of accent there from New Zealand. I know reading a little bit about you spent some time in New Zealand. Are we, as in Australia, better or worse than New Zealand or... it's not a competition, I know, but it's this kind of a problem or a challenge, you know, in a lot of areas of the world?
1:09:53 S15
It is, it is... I don't know if you're aware of the statistics, but the World Health Organization have come out and said that it's estimated that 300,000 people drown each year.
1:10:04 S1
No way.
1:10:05 S13
It's one of the most, I suppose, highest levels of death, preventable death around the world. Now Australia and New Zealand are pretty good by comparison. You know, there are some countries where we hear about 15,000 deaths a day. You know, it's just phenomenal. And so look, I think I think Australia and New Zealand both have a reputation internationally of being leaders in this area. And so let's take advantage of that. Right.
1:10:31 S1
That's a very important message. That's a staggering figure. And that's very, very sobering. Brendon, as you said, there's a website where people can find out more and it costs nothing to check it out. And who knows, it could be the best move you make today, particularly with the or the the warmer weather coming up, holidays coming up. And it'd be great to welcome everyone back when we come back after holidays. So what's the best place to go? Where's our starting point?
1:10:56 S13
Yeah, look, we've got Swim Safer for you. And as I said, Swim School Finder. There's also some valuable resources in there. And we also have this wonderful initiative called Swim It Forward. And that's like ... a pay it forward, kind of...
S1
Oh, yeah.
S13
We've got an opportunity, and there for people either to donate money if they... can or to apply for funding if they're, okay, you know, cost of living crisis and so on. If you can't afford to get your kids into lessons, then, you know, seek, seek a bit of funding from us to to try and help that out.
1:11:27 S1
Well, that's fantastic because, you know, in that instance then, you know, not being able to afford it is not an excuse.
1:11:33 S13
Absolutely. Yeah. Thanks, Peter. Yeah.
1:11:35 S1
All right. But great to meet you. Thanks for your time. That's a very important message. And you've certainly relayed it very, very well. So keep up the great work.
1:11:43 S13
Thanks so much, Peter. Really appreciate your assistance.
1:11:45 S1
Brilliant. That's the CEO for Swim Australia. Such an important message. And, uh. Oh, very, very alarming figures there. But hopefully if one person hears about it and acts on it, that might be one person's life that we end up saving.
(MUSIC)
We. Ooh! Hoo hoo! Hoo hoo!
Well, It's great to welcome to the program, Tanya Hall, who's the founder for hearts for heart. And an interesting message, important message regarding particular cholesterol. Tanya, great to catch up with you again. Thank you for your time.
1:12:18 S14
Thank you for having me.
1:12:19 S1
Now this is interesting about cholesterol. It kind of one of those things that seems to come in and out of fashion, if I could put it that way over a period of time.
1:12:27 S14
Yes, absolutely. I mean, look, even though it still remains to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, there's still very little awareness about cardiovascular disease.
1:12:39 S1
That's 1 in 4 deaths?
1:12:40 S14
Yes... that's correct. And it's and it's estimated that 2.2 million Australians are diagnosed with high cholesterol. And it's a critical risk factor for ASCVD, which can include heart attack and stroke.
1:12:55 S1
So what's the message? I guess first of all, we should all be getting it checked on a fairly regular basis, maybe depending on age and family history.
1:13:04 S14
Yeah. Look, absolutely, this week is all about raising awareness of high cholesterol and the importance of getting a heart check. Certainly, you know, the plaque can build up in your younger years, but as the the risk increases as you get older. And so particularly for those over the age of 45, or if there's a family history, we certainly encourage people to go and get your heart checked.
1:13:29 S1
And it's not that difficult. It's not that invasive. It's not that painful. Tanya, I'm the biggest coward in the world.
1:13:35 S14
No, absolutely not. You just go into your GP. It is available for free. And what they do is they do a risk assessment. They also take your blood sugar levels and test your cholesterol. They do a blood blood pressure check. So it's certainly not a scary check but one that's incredibly important and that can save your life.
1:13:57 S1
And maybe, if I may be so bold, perhaps, um, you know, if you're married or you're in a partnership, if I can put it that way, perhaps you should be encouraging each other to go as well. Because sometimes one person in the family tends to be a bit more, shall we say, uh, cautious about things like this. And others seem to be a bit more reluctant.
1:14:14 S14
Absolutely. It's really important that we're having this conversation with our family members and loved ones. And as you say, some certainly are more cautious than others. But, you know, it is a check that can save your life. And so, you know, it's really important that we're taking control of our heart health.
1:14:31 S1
What about if you get diagnosed or when you get diagnosed? There's good kind of remedies to kind of fix up the problem. And I guess in a sense it starts with you in terms of lifestyle.
1:14:42 S14
Yeah. Look, I mean, the the treatments have certainly improved and have come a long way over the last 50 years. And so that's one avenue that patients will discuss with their with their doctor. But we absolutely have a role to play in the management of our own health. And that includes eating a healthy diet exercise, smoking cessation and limiting alcohol. And these things are really important. As I said, you know, just to, you know, to improve your heart health.
1:15:12 S1
They're important in kind of common sense. And we kind of know about it. And I know I get the opportunity to speak to people, say, in the area of dementia or other conditions. And the message is fairly common. So, I mean, okay, it'd be great to get our cholesterol down, but it could also help in other areas of life as well, or preventative in other areas of different conditions that we may be able to be susceptible to.
1:15:36 S14
Absolutely. I mean, look, managing the risk factors by doing all of these things certainly help reduce the risk of many other conditions. And look, we know that sometimes, um, you know, it's not easy. We have busy lifestyles. We're, you know, have a family to look after. We travel a lot. But, you know, there are simple things that we can do to to improve these things. And so I think it's really about having the conversation with your GP as to how we can integrate that into our own personal lives, and unfortunately, it is one of those things that until something happens to a loved one, that we really understand the importance of, of doing these things and, and once again, even just having a heart check.
So, you know, we certainly don't want that to happen to people. We... want you to be more proactive rather than reactive. And... again, make these lifestyle changes and... just be more conscious of your heart health.
1:16:33 S1
Tanya, if I may be a bit punny, if I can put it that way, does it kind of gladden your heart? I mean, sadly, we saw, I think it was last year, the passing of Shane Warne. And then at the MCG during the Boxing Day Test, there were the heart checks taking place. Does it kind of make you happy when you know something as tragic as a death of a young athlete as Shane Warne can result in the awareness being raised and hopefully saving other lives?
1:17:00 S14
Look, it's really tragic what happened to Shane Warne. And, you know, I think certainly any awareness raising is, is really important. So certainly happy to see that there were heart checks, you know, at the cricket ground. And obviously you know that there's more of an emphasis on heart health. I mean, we know that there's been a, you know, public complacency and also policy complacency around the management of... cardiovascular health. But certainly we don't want to see this happen to anybody. And so, you know, there's very, we're very sad for Shane and obviously his family.
1:17:35 S1
And home in Adelaide as indeed you are, over this weekend, you'll be doing them at the Valley 500 at the supercar race. The heart checks will be available for people to participate in.
1:17:45 S14
Absolutely. So we've collaborated with Heartbeat of Sport and Heart Support Australia, and we will be offering free heart checks at the ground from today until Sunday, I believe. So if you're there, please stop down and say hi. And so we were able to provide you with more information about your heart health.
1:18:05 S1
Tanya, I know you're really busy. We appreciate you speaking to us. Congratulations on all the fantastic work you've done. I know we've spoken to you in the past, and you're kind of living proof for the fact that there is life after heart scare. So congratulations on that. Keep up the great work and I look forward to the next time we speak.
1:18:22 S14
Thank you so very much. We really appreciate your support.
1:18:24 S1
That's Tanya Hall there from the Heart to Heart. We'll put the information up our show notes about how you can get in touch. And if you're at the event this weekend, take out a heart check.
(MUSIC)
And some faint not to the show, letting you know that tomorrow Club call is on at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel. It's their Christmas show already. It doesn't seem 12 months since I said that, but the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel at the Gov Club call the third Sunday of each month. It's a very inclusive, welcoming set of events that take place. There's live music with bands. There's also good food, great company dancing. Everyone has a really great time, very, very accessible both financially and also physically. So if you'd like to go along. Doors open about 1030 through till about 2:30. Club Call is the third Sunday of each month. That's 1030 in the morning till about 2:30 in the afternoon. If you want more details, give Andrew Kyprianou a call. They do a great job. Andrew and his team of volunteers. 0408 848 649 .... 0408 848 649. A big happy Merry Christmas to all those attending club call tomorrow.
Now... we were hoping to catch up with someone regarding the AFL Inclusion Carnival, which is happening later on this week. There's actually inclusion for AFL, wheelchair AFL and also for athletes with an integration difficulty that is all taking place in Queensland next week. Haven't been able to synchronize our clocks and watches to get anyone out for today, but we'll no doubt follow up in the next week or two about that.
Also, you may remember last week we spoke to Oscar Stubbs from blind Cricket Australia. Their series, their Blind Ashes starts tomorrow or depending on when you're listening, Sunday the 17th November in Queensland as well one day games and also T20 matches against England for the Blind Ashes. So we'll have more news about that in coming weeks as well.
Also, just a kind of curious to note that the appointment of Robert F Kennedy to the health portfolio in the Donald Trump administration was made during the week. Robert Kennedy, who is very much an anti-vaxxer and also anti-fluoride. So we'll see how that turns out. Certainly never a dull moment as far a... Donald Trump goes. So we'll look forward to hearing much more about that in the next few, the next four years, I guess when you look at it that way.
All right. Just reminding you that if you want information about the show and things like phone numbers or websites, well, first of all, you can always give us a call at the radio station during business hours. 8234 1195. If you're outside South Australia, put a 08 in front of it. 08 8234 1197. 8234 1197 is the phone number for Vision Australia Radio Adelaide or at any time you can call Vision Australia on 1300 847 466 - 1 808 474, double six. That is Vision Australia's number. If no one answers, leave a message and people will get back to you.
I explained last week that we got a message regarding an interview possibility from the call center, and they passed on the information, the donation line, so we will get the information. If you get in touch with us, we will get back in touch with you. 13084746 or during business hours here in Adelaide. 8234 1197 is the telephone number.
A couple of quotes before we go. Murray has sent one through Murray. It's not really a quote. It's more I suppose it is a quote. Murray says be careful when you follow signs that say Follow the masses. Just in case the M has been left off. Okay. So thanks to Murray for sending that through. And Mark, our headline grabber who grabs headlines and sends them into us. That's why he's a headline grabber. He liked this one that he wanted to share with us as well. This is before the US presidential election. It said America is fighting between Madam President, Madam President and Madman president. So I'll let you work that out for yourself. But Mark, always appreciate your very eagle eyed eagle ear for headlines from particularly the US newspapers.
A couple of birthdays before we go. Paolo Castro having a birthday. What a talented director and also artistic person is Paolo producer as well with the theatre here in Adelaide and much of it for people with disabilities. So Paolo, Paolo happy birthday to you know say Caitlin chairman having a birthday, one of our fantastic Paralympians and Caitlin a very big happy birthday to you.
Vicki Cousins is here looking very, very summery at the moment. Vicky is here because coming up after this programme, if you're listening through 1197 AM in Adelaide or online at varadio.org. Vicky is here with Australian Geographic, a program not to be missed. Sam. Richard, thanks so much for your help. Pam Green, thanks so much for yours. Very much appreciated, folks.
Reminding you that Leisure Link is available on your favorite podcast platform. If you like the show, please tell a friend. Always room for 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 more listeners. Don't keep this a secret. Be kind to yourselves. Be thoughtful and look out for others. All being well, let's link back at the same time next week. This is Leisure Link on Vision Australia Radio.
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