Radical Australia Joe Toscano and Kelly Whitworth

Rowland G Schultz entertains us muchly this week with his poetry and one of his flamenco guitar tracks. He called in on the phone from Sydney and entertained us with many poems. Rowland acquired a brain inury through a transport accident some years ago and this precipitated a very difficult period of his life. We talk about what it is like to lose everything, to be affected by a traumatic injury, and to lose someone you love. Since his accident, Rowland's poetry talent has emerged and we begin the show with Disabled or PTSstabled. He says he was on fire with that one. Rowland was a very successful guitarist in Melbourne for many years, playing flamenco guitar and in bands such as cover band The Gypsy Crims and his solo venture, Vikingo de Jerez. He frequented venues such as Open Studio. Rowland is now thinking of dedicating some time to the oud. He was born in '79 in Sydney and went to Newtown Performing Arts High School where all the other cool kids were. Rowland was a fab guest and we thank him greatly for joining us and sharing some of his life's moments with us. Thank-you, Rowland.Please be advised this conversation includes some heavy themes like loss and challenges of mental ill-health that may not be suitable for some listeners. https://youtube.com/@rowland-schultz-vikingodejerez?si=dzvk9w0gAdLztEMOhttps://youtube.com/@vikingodejerez?si=SJYGUfeBby9oy5Dahttps://youtube.com/@rowlandgschultz390?si=fphnqvb49-5bQlEjhttps://youtube.com/@rowlandgschultz123?si=5MQQl7n9nWpdH65ohttps://youtube.com/@rowlandgschultz-js8yj?si=PlCWmsA2RfYzRTQU

These days, this week's guest, Ron Guy, is an artist activist for the cause of Western Sahara, the last colony of Africa. Earlier, he supported the cause of East Timor before it gained independence. Ron has been a union delegate for the AWU and was the OH&S officer at Dow Chemicals. He has had a long interest in the trade union movement, starting when he had to endure living with plenty of mice in property he lived in when he was a young fruit picker. Ron was born in Bacchus Marsh in '57 and was a miracle baby. He had an interest in painting from an early age. His father was a Rat of Tobruk. Ron was a lovely guest and we thank him so much for joining us this week. awsa.org.au

Arborist and life-long rock star. That's this week's guest, Andrew Matters, calling in from Adelaide. Andrew has been shaping, saving, planting and assessing trees for over 20 years. He loves planning and planting gardens and is currently crushing on the Crepe Myrtle tree. He spent his young adulthood in Sydney with a panel van and a band - Neptune Lolly Shoppe. The spectre of illness hung over his life for a long time, as Andrew was really ill when he was young. We talk about his time in and out of hospitals and the illness he survived. We had a really great time talking with Andrew and we thank him for sharing some of his life with us. Thanks, Andrew. Keep up your great work.@tree_matters@WilliamStreetStrikers@neptunelollyshoppe back in the day.. 

Jeannie Erceg was one of 5 residents who resisted the demolition of their homes on the Barack Beacon public housing estate in Port Melbourne just a little while ago and says 'They can't make me disappear. I can say what I want'. Jeannie says the estate had a 'friendly feeling' and it was a 'wonderful community'. Like every resident on the estate, Jeannie found out her home was due to be demolished just 2 weeks prior to Christmas by a knock at the door by a couple of government representatives. There was no community consultation whatsoever about the most recent estate to come under the instrument that is the Big Build. Jeannie makes it quite apparent that the public has been shortchanged in the plans for the new dwellings, with thousands of people waiting ever longer on the public housing list.Jeannie grew up in Caufield and is a '71 baby. She is the mother to 7 children. When young, she was enthusiastic about being a choirgirl and went on to get married in the Carnegie church. Prior to her removal from Barack Beacon, Jeannie resided at the public housing estate on Bang Street in Prahran for 24 years. Her firsthand accounts of the treatment of public housing estates and residents by the government is illuminating. We thank Jeannie for joining us this week. https://www.homes.vic.gov.au/barak-beacon-port-melbournehttps://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/they-ll-have-to-carry-me-out-inside-the-public-housing-estate-set-for-demolition-20230316-p5csoj.htmlhttps://office.org.au/project/retain-repair-reinvest-barak-beacon-estate/

Greg returns on the blower from Queensland to the Radical Australia studio talking about his new research on West Papua and its shady colonial history. Definitely one for the enthusiasts and for anyone wanting to enlighten themselves about colonial wars on the doorstep of our nearest neighbour. Freedom for West Papua.

I want to lead the way in having difficult conversations says this week's guest, Ruth Clare. Ruth is perhaps best known either for her acting job in a genital herpes commercial or for her memoir about growing up with her returned serviceman father. One lighthearted and one serious fact about Ruth and we straddle both ends in our conversation with her this week. Ruth is a Rocky girl and went to Rockhampton High which was 'a bit rough' but at which she was 'a total nerd' who loved performing. She eventually figured out that she could follow her dreams as a career and forayed into acting after her move to Melbourne. Ruth's memoir, ENEMY, won the final Asher Award in 2017 and she is now a motivational speaker, engaging highschool students in conversations she wished she had at their age. Ruth is a mother to two children and was born in '74. She has a great smile and a personality to match. Thank-you, Ruth, for joining us on the show this week.Cover of Ruth's book, ENEMY.A young Ruth.