Writer Christos Tsiolkas and playwright Alana Valentine have written the libretto for a new oratorio on a murder that changed Australia.
Watershed: The Death of Dr. Duncan retells the manslaughter of then 41-year-old London-born law lecturer George Duncan in 1972.
Duncan and another man, Roger James, were confronted by a violent gang at a well-known meeting spot for gay men near a footbridge along Adelaide’s River Torrens.
Both were thrown in the water. Duncan drowned.
After his body was retrieved from the river, his corpse was returned to the water and dragged out again for the benefit of a news crew’s camera.
“The body was desecrated twice, in a way,” says Tsiolkas.
“That kind of desecration would not have occurred to the body of a heterosexual man.”
“It was the fact that he was a poofter, that kind of made it all right to do.”
A 1972 newspaper front page covering the murder of George Duncan. No one pictured was suspected in Dr. Duncan’s death (Photo: SA State Library)
In 1988, two vice squad members were tried and acquitted of Duncan’s manslaughter.
“I don’t think we’ve shied away from saying that the culpability of police is an unaddressed question,” says Tsiolkas.
“It’s still there, and clearly there was a real history of homophobic violence in the police force, as there was at that time in police forces across the globe.”
Duncan’s death sparked momentous change and led to a bipartisan push to decriminalise homosexuality.
Fifty years later, the show will fuse inquests, press clippings, private correspondence, real and imagined monologues spanning five decades and 30 years of research by local historian Tim Reeves.
The show will bring together solo voices, a dancer, the Adelaide Chamber Singers, and an elite chamber orchestra under the baton of Christie Anderson.
Adelaide Festival Co-Artistic Director Neil Armfield directs the opera (Photo: Adelaide Festival via ABC News)
The festival has tried unsuccessfully to track down those involved at the time of the murder in 1972.
But Tsiolkas hopes they may still find them or they will suddenly turn up.
“I think we all hope if they come to this show that they will feel that elation and that mourning,” he said.
Tsiolkas says the oratorio’s combination of “celebration” and “lament” reflects upon continuing violence against queer people.
The opera is directed by Adelaide Festival co-artistic director Neil Armfield and features then South Australian premier Don Dunstan – who decriminalised male homosexual acts in 1975 – as a character.
Watershed: The Death of Dr. Duncan premieres at the Dunstan Playhouse from Wednesday, March 2-8 as part of the Adelaide Festival.
The current COVID pandemic has impacted on our lives and our access to public activities. Many no doubt had planned to be Greece for this year’s 80th anniversary of the Greek campaign of 1941.
Despite these restrictions the Australian Embassy in Greece was able to organize and take part in a number of innovative events to commemorate the Greek campaign anniversary, and particularly Australia’s role in it. This included not only attendance at various commemorative events on Crete but also an innovative visual display in Athens of photographs from Australian and other archives of the campaign.
During the commemorations the Australian Embassy produced and released a new and impressive nearly 200 page publication, entitled “Mates and Allies.” It showcases many of the photographs and images of other important documentation from the campaign including the battle of Crete, sourced from Australian and Greek archives. Also included are text extracts from firsthand accounts by diggers and nurses of their campaign experiences. Photos show images from Athens to northern Greece, to Argos, Nafplio and Kalamata, to Crete and the evacuation. Importantly, the whole publication is produced in both the English and Greek languages.
Victorian Minister for Veterans, the Hon Shaun Leane, MP (left) being presented with his copy of Mates and Allies by Victorian MP Mr Lee Tarlamis, OAM, in the Victorian Parliament’s Queens Hall. Photo Lee Tarlamis 2021
The significance of the publication is shown by the inclusion of prefaces by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP, the Prime minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the then Australian Minister for Veterans Affairs Darren Chester MP and the Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis.
Historian Jim Claven was enlisted to support the publication by assisting in the selection of photographs and in providing an authoritative historical overview of the Greek campaign as a way of introducing the photographs and placing them in context, as well as suggestions for further reading. Readers of Jim’s Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed and his many historical articles will know that his contribution to this new publication is of a similar high standard.
Jim’s overview provides an excellent introduction to the campaign – from the arrival of Australian and other Allied forces in Athens and the popular welcome they received, their movement up to the north of Greece to face the coming enemy invasion, the various battles in the north (from Vevi and Pinieos George to Servia), the fighting retreat towards the evacuation beaches across southern Greece and the fierce engagements fought on the way (such as at Brallos Pass, Corinth Canal and Kalamata), the evacuation to Crete and the subsequent defence of the island (such as at Maleme, 42nd Street, Rethymno and Heraklion) to its final evacuation. He touches on the often forgotten role of Australia’s nurses and Royal Australian Navy in the campaign as well as the service and fate of the only Australian soldier of Hellenic descent to die in the campaign, Private James Zampelis.
Importantly Jim has also chosen to highlight some of the escape and evasion stories from the campaign, drawing on his research into the stories of Horsham’s Private Syd Grant, Frankston’s Lance Corporal Skip Welsh and indigenous digger Sergeant Reg Saunders, recalling the depth of gratitude felt by these young Australians to the many ordinary Greek civilians who helped them survive and escape capture. This is sentiment is reflected in the words of Skip Welsh and selected by Jim to illustrate this feeling:
“The Greeks helped us to escape from the country. They guided us over the mountains, from village to village, each village supplying a guide to the next one. They helped us with food, Greek Orthodox priests gave us shelter and food in their churches and the police warned us of any approaching Germans on the route. … The Greeks were extremely kind to us. It amazed me that people who have everything to lose and nothing to gain could open their arms to us”
In recounting the story of the campaign, the book also honours the service of diggers like these who fought across Greece. Jim says that the descendants of both Syd Grant and Reg Saunders are glad that these stories have been part of the re-telling of the campaign. Throughout the overview Jim refers to many of the photographs published in the book, weaving their images into his narrative, drawing your attention to their illustration of aspects of the campaign.
Mr Claven says that it was an honour to be approached to contribute to this important publication and congratulated the Australian Embassy on taking on such an important task:
“I have always found the individual stories connecting Australia and Greece through the Greek campaign fascinating. They connect people and communities to this period of intensity, where ordinary people – whether as soldiers or civilians – felt called upon to do extraordinary things in the cause of freedom and the defeat of fascism. This book demonstrates that bond vividly”, Mr Claven said.
A small number of copies have been distributed in Australia. Recently Victorian MP Mr Lee Tarlamis OAM presented a copy of the new book to the Victorian Veterans Minister, the Hon Shaun Leane, MP. He did so in the Victorian Parliament’s Queens Hall, in front of the portrait of the Hon Stanley Argyle , former Premier of Victoria and Gallipoli veteran. Mr Tarlamis will soon also be presenting copies to both the Premier of Victoria, the Hon Daniel Andrews, and to the Victorian Parliamentary Library.
Mr Tarlamis also congratulated the Australian Ambassador to Greece, his Excellency Mr Arthur Spyrou, the Australian Embassy in Greece, the Australian Government and Hellenic authorities for their efforts in supporting this important initiative. He told The Greek Herald that this was one of the most significant contributions to the commemoration of the Greek campaign by the Australian Government in recent years:
“As time passes and the distance from the Greek campaign grows, it is through major publications like these that awareness of the Australian connection to Greece through the 1941 campaign is kept alive. As they say, a picture can tell a thousand words and the photographs published in this collection demonstrate the bonds of friendship between our two peoples – as the title of the book says, we are “Mates and Allies.”
The publication was made available by the Embassy in Greece during the recent commemorative events on Crete and in Athens. Mr Claven is hopefully that the book may be made available to a wider audience in the near future.
Victoria Police will pay $11.75 million to a man left paralysed after police officers allegedly used excessive force while responding to a noise complaint.
Chris Karadaglis said three police officers allegedly forcibly removed him from his home in Warrnambool in November 2017, in a settlement filed in the Supreme Court.
“The plaintiff was alone at the premises and he posed no threat to the police officers or anybody else,” court documents obtained by AAP said.
He claimed one of the police officers placed him in a headlock and applied “increasing force” to his neck.
“One or more of the officers applied excessive force to the plaintiff who suffered devastating injury to his cervical spine,” the documents stated.
Mr. Karadaglis is now quadriplegic and suffers from post-traumatic stress, as well as depressive and anxiety disorders.
The documents lodged with the court alleged the force used by police was “cowardly and brutal” and their conduct was contemptuous of Mr. Karadaglis’ rights.
It was “an affront to his dignity”, high-handed, insulting, and “in reckless disregard of the harm likely to be caused to him”, the claim said.
After the incident, two of the officers involved allegedly visited the Warrnambool hospital where Mr. Karadaglis was being treated and told a nurse he “was feigning his medical condition”.
Mr. Karadaglis asked for Victoria Police to pay exemplary damages to show the court’s strong disapproval of the incident, and as a deterrent to “bring home to” police that physically restraining a non-violent offender must “avoid foreseeable injury”.
The documents said police officers “must be properly supervised, assessed, monitored and trained”.
On October 1, Victoria Police agreed to pay $11.75 million to Mr. Karadaglis, less any repayment to the National Disability Insurance Agency, as well as his legal costs.
The court documents did not reference fault nor liability on behalf of the officers themselves.
A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed the settlement but refused to comment further.
The Greek Australian Cultural League (GACL) is inviting Greek Australian artists to register for the first-ever ‘Greek Australian Artists Directory’ (GAAD) which aims to support and promote artists and their work.
What is the Artist Directory?
The GAAD is an archival/directory database introducing individual Greek Australian artists, established and emerging, who have been practising traditional or contemporary art in Australia.
As well as introducing the community to various artist profiles, it is an important platform for advertising current and upcoming exhibitions and allows the public to explore gallery related events, information on artists and more.
It is an established directory available online as a digital resource to be utilised for research and education by artists, curators, teachers, students, researchers and the general public.
The GACL hopes that in time, GAAD will be become an important archive of Greek Australian art practice and a not-for-profit community resource which will hopefully be sustained as artist-run and volunteer based.
The GACL intends to support and promote those registered via online publication of biographies, art statements, links and art work images. Artists will also have the opportunity to:
Document their practise in an internationally recognised, archival community resource.
Network with other artists and the wider community.
Promote and advertise artwork and events online and through the GACL’s social media and news print channels.
Feature in ‘Antipodes’, Australia’s longest running annual bilingual periodical.
Participate in online art events and artist led community workshops.
Train across a range of skills such as arts administration, event management, curatorial projects, publishing, marketing, community engagement and arts advocacy through the GACL’s volunteer program.
Assist in amplifying the voice of Greek-Australian artists.
Become a member of the GACL, established and recognised as an advocate for Greek Australian art and literature for over 50 years.
If you are an established and emerging artist you are welcome to register by completing the GAAD online registration form or contacting the GACL Art team by email infogaclm@gmail.com
A Sydney gym is at the center of a COVID-19 cluster.
NSW Health confirmed Wednesday that 15 people who had been at the gym tested positive for the virus.
City Gym owner Billy Kokkinis is shocked at the development considering he and staff went “above and beyond” to follow “all the procedures and processes”.
Kokkinis said three NSW Health inspectors visited the gym on Tuesday and claimed it was the “cleanest gym” they had seen so far, the Daily Telegraph reports.
“You can’t tell me one day that we’re the cleanest gym and then the next day tell me we’re a hotspot,” he said.
“Conversely, they have expressed their applause and gratitude for our extra precautionary measures regarding our Covid safe practices calling us the ‘benchmark’.”
“We have been in undeviating contact with the NSW Health Department, meticulously following their instruction regarding our Covid safe practices, procedures, and updates.”
“City Gym is an iconic long-standing community gym, and as the figurehead, I pride myself on the transparency and honesty I provide to my members.”
“We’ve got proof and evidence that we’re compliant.”
NSW Health is urging those who attended the gym at certain times between 18-23 and 25 October to immediately get tested and isolate “until a negative result is received”.
City Gym has undergone a deep clean and reopened to fully vaccinated patrons.
NSW recorded 293 local cases and two deaths on Thursday.
By Georgia Pandelios, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Owner at Nutrition Prescription.
COVID kilos, or pandemic weight gain, has become a common phenomenon – especially for those working from home. With reduced commute time and increased screen time, our lives have become even more sedentary. We zoom more and move around less. Except for those round trips to the pantry. Together with the boredom of being confined at home, we might graze more often as food is within arm’s reach, just a few steps away from our “office.”
Yet with summer around the corner, many are now realising the impact these homely habits have had on the scale. Do not panic. Losing weight can be easy, effective and sustainable when done with a plan.
Here are eight dietitian endorsed steps to rebooting your diet before summer.
1. Set a goal:
Goals are important in keeping us accountable, on track and motivated. The key is to make sure it is realistic and achievable. Set a long term goal as well as several short term goals. A healthy and sustainable amount of weight loss ranges between 0.5kg to 1kg per week. Different things work for different people and you don’t need to use kilo goals – you can use dress sizes or even belt loops.
2. Start meal planning for your grocery shop:
Try to plan out each of the meals you will cook, as well as your snacks, in addition to setting a regular grocery shopping day. This can be weekly for some, fortnightly for others. The key is to set out what the necessities for your diet are and some back up options in case the unexpected happens.
3. Boost the quality of your diet:
Focusing on your diet quality means choosing lots of wholefoods and limiting processed foods. By default, these foods are usually more filling and restrict excess calories, whilst also maximising nutrient intake to support overall health.
4. Portion Control:
Calorie counting is undeniably an exhausting task and doesn’t necessarily improve our diet or health. No matter what the meals are, it is important to get the balance right. The plate model is a very simple and useful tool to portion control a main meal. This strategy aims for 50% of your plate as non-starchy vegetables or salad, 25% as lean protein (eg. meat, chicken, eggs, fish, tofu) and 25% as complex carbohydrates (eg. brown rice, sweet potato, grainy bread). Don’t forget to include some healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil or avocado in your meal for added flavour and to help with absorbing those important fat-soluble vitamins.
5. Eat consistently:
Eating regularly and evenly spreading out our meals can prevent us from overeating and make portion control a lot easier. Make sure to not skip meals or snacks. For those of you who are always on-the-go, convenient protein-rich snack options might include a small tub of yoghurt, cheese and crackers, or some trail mix.
6.Take advantage of low energy foods:
Low energy foods are those that are low in calories, but usually rich in nutrients that are good for our health. These foods are great fillers to do exactly that, keep you full. If you haven’t guessed it yet, most of our plant foods fall into this category. My favourite ones for summer are berries, passionfruit and cucumbers. These can bulk up a meal or snack to help keep us more satisfied and fuller for longer.
7. Drink water:
With the warmer days ahead, it’s also important to make sure we are drinking enough water. Some people might find themselves snacking more when their fluid intake is low as a result of confusing the thirst mechanism for hunger. The average adult needs 2 litres or 8 cups of water per day and sugar free soft drinks are not a substitute. Cold water can be more potable compared to tap water, alternatively adding some berries, mint, lemon wedges or cucumber slices to a drink bottle can make it more enjoyable.
8. Ask for help:
Developing a healthy eating habit is a lifelong skill that takes time and practice. Having support from family and friends in following a routine at home or when eating in social settings is important. This might include delegating age appropriate food prep tasks to family members or ordering takeaway that is in line with the plate model.
Managing weight is very possible, even during pandemic times. By shifting the focus onto building healthy eating habits, we can make our health and weight journey more successful, less stressful and more sustainable. We’re not robots. We have the sense of taste and smell for a reason and enjoying our meals is also key. Having a dietitian on board to coach you along the way is definitely beneficial. Speak to your GP about accessing Medicare rebates for sessions with a dietitian.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is generalised and is not intended to replace medical or dietetic advice, nor directly manage any medical conditions. For personalised advice, please speak with your doctor or contact our office to make an appointment with one of our Accredited Practising Dietitians.
Greece’s national leaders were in attendance at OXI Day parades yesterday to mark the day Greece entered WWII by refusing to work with the Axis powers.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis followed a student parade in Paleo Faliro, while President Katerina Sakellaropoulou attended an army parade in Thessaloniki.
“Today we have the right to look at the future with greater self-confidence and more optimism,” Mitsotakis said.
He said he wishes “we may all go into this future with the unity the times require, and be always able to distinguish the useful Yes’ from the necessary No’s.”
Meanwhile, President Sakellaropoulou laid a wreath at the Monument of Heroes of the Third Army Corps on Megalou Alexandrou Avenue.
She said the day commemorates “a glorious moment in our history, when Greeks refused to surrender, faced the fascist invasion heroically, and utterly defeated a superior enemy.”
She said it reminds Greeks “of what we may achieve when we are united.”
At 94 years of age, Dimitris Papadakis has lived through the Great Depression, the 9/11 attacks and now the coronavirus pandemic, but the one historical event which has stayed with him the most is October 28, 1940.
This date marks the moment when former military general and Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Metaxas, said ‘OXI’ (NO) to an ultimatum made by Italian Prime Minister, Benito Mussolini, an ally of Nazi leader Hitler. The subsequent invasion of Greece and outbreak of war saw Mr Papadakis’ life change forever.
“My family lived in Piraeus, the port of Athens, when the news came [about Metaxas’ response to Mussolini’s ultimatum]. I remember my mother taking me from our home to visit a relative in a different suburb of Piraeus who owned a radio at the time… for us to follow the news about what was happening,” Mr Papadakis tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
“We kept listening to it but what was really broadcast, mostly, was martial music and popular music just to keep the moral of the people high. But of course, automatically they started conscription.”
Dimitris was only 13 years old when war broke out in Greece. Photo supplied.
At the time, Mr Papadakis was too young to be conscripted to the Greek army as he was only 13 years old. But in the months that followed, and as news emerged of Greek troops fighting on the Albanian front, Mr Papadakis’ family began to return one-by-one to their hometown – the Greek island of Crete.
‘Swim as fast as you can’:
Mr Papadakis was one of the last of his family to make the dangerous three day and eight-hour trip to Crete. He visited Piraeus port every day to find a ship he could stow away on until eventually in January 1941, his chance to escape came.
“The interesting thing was that my brother-in-law was giving me advice when I said I’m going to sail to Crete. He said, ‘You look for a spot where the beams make a ‘T’ and stay under that because if the ship is torpedoed, that is the safest place that will not collapse very quickly. If the ship gets torpedoed, jump into the water and swim away from the ship as fast as you can’,” Mr Papadakis remembers.
Whilst Mr Papadakis didn’t have to take these drastic actions, being a stow away on the ship still came with other risks as well.
As a young man, Dimitris had to stow away on a boat to get to Crete. Photo supplied.
“I got on board the ship and when they came around and said, ‘show us your ticket,’ I said, ‘sorry I don’t have a ticket.’ They were worried about foreigners being involved in these things, so they called me in the middle of the night to interrogate me: ‘what is your name? what is your mother’s surname? what is your father’s name?’ All sort of things,” he says.
“Eventually they said, ‘we have to take you back to Piraeus. You can’t get off the ship when you reach Chania.’ But an officer saw me and said, ‘what are you doing?’ and I said, ‘they told me not to get off the ship.’ He goes, ‘go home.’ So I jumped out of the ship and went home.”
Crete under attack:
Only months later on May 20, 1941, Mr Papadakis came to witness the Germans invade Crete in the largest airborne attack ever attempted by Nazi Germany.
The Battle of Crete.
“I was at Kastelli [a village in Crete] and I saw the aircraft coming and then I saw the paratroopers dropping. I was young at the time and I thought, ‘this is an opportunity to see war first hand’,” Mr Papadakis says.
“I started running towards where the paratroopers were coming down. When I got there… the people of the town, whoever had a gun, ran and started the battle against the paratroopers. They killed most of them, about a dozen put their hands up and were taken prisoner.”
Eventually, the Germans managed to secure a foothold on Crete after roughly 12 days. The occupation saw Mr Papadakis put into forced labour by the Germans to help build another airport and the island also experienced a shortage of food.
“My father managed to get hold of some wheat from a relative in the country and I took it to the mill to be ground into flour. My mother did the dough and I took the bread to the local baker to bake and brought it back, but it was time for me to go to school so I cut a slice of bread and went,” Mr Papadakis explains.
Life in Greece during WWII was difficult.
“I was nibbling because I was hungry and the other children dobbed on me to the teachers. I got such a tongue lashing from the teachers. They said, ‘aren’t you ashamed? Everybody hasn’t seen bread for so many days and you bring bread here. Get out of here and eat your bread and then come back.’
“This was an indication of how things were at the time. Very, very hard and it lasted for quite some time too.”
Migrating to Australia:
Despite this, Mr Papadakis finished high school and joined the Greek army. He served for about 32 months during the Greek Civil War before he was discharged and migrated to Australia in 1953.
Dimitris as a soldier. Photo supplied.
“In the beginning I didn’t like it. I said, ‘I’m going back to Greece.’ My sister said, ‘Look I understand but why don’t you stay for about six months to polish your English and see a little bit of the country so when you go back you can tell everybody where you’ve been.’ I thought it was a valid argument,” Mr Papadakis says with a laugh.
“By the end of the six months, my English improved and I could understand people… it became a little bit more like a normal life and I stayed.”
Mr Papadakis ended up working in a milk bar for a couple of years, before being a sales person at department store, Farmers, and eventually owning his own insurance broker firm for about 33 years. He also married “a very fine girl” and has three children and seven grandchildren.
Clearly, Mr Papadakis had a prosperous and happy life in Australia. But he still hasn’t forgotten his roots and that fateful day back in 1940 when Greece descended into an atmosphere of war.
“You do silly things at the time. You’re scared and you’re serious at the same time. It was quite a time,” he concludes.
The winners have been announced for the Wotif Uniquely Aussie Awards this year and the ‘best hot chips’ and ‘best jaffles’ categories have been claimed by Greek Australians.
According to The Advertiser, Greek man, Terry, from Adelaide’s Chicken Chef shop in Blair Athol, makes Australia’s best hot chips because of their consistency and famous chicken salt seasoning.
“We were the originators of the chicken salt in SA back in the early 70s. The salt was here when I got here and I guard that recipe with my life,” Terry told the newspaper.
“You can’t buy Chicken Chef Chicken Salt anywhere. There’s only a couple of people that know it.”
Dimi Christopoulos and Dion Mavrommatis with a bag of the best chips at Chicken Chef, Blair Athol. Picture: Mark Brake.
Meanwhile in the ‘best jaffles’ category, Miss Jaffles Cafe in the seaside suburb of Cronulla has been voted people’s choice.
The cafe is owned by business partners, Vaseliki (Vass) Vais and Michelle (Mish) Weir, and they say their cafe offers the only jaffle-based menu in the Sutherland Shire and St George areas, with both sweet and savoury concoctions on offer.
“Jaffles are something that takes everyone back to their childhood. We all grew up on jaffles, putting leftovers in the jaffle or creating your own, it’s comfort food,” Vass toldThe Leader.
Jaffles from Miss Jaffles Cafe in Cronulla.
The most popular jaffle on the cafe’s dessert menu is the Miss Biscoff with Caramilk, Biscoff, strawberries and ice-cream.
They also do fan favourites including a pizza jaffle, one with mac and cheese and bacon bits, and an old-time gem with baked beans and cheese.
If that doesn’t entice you to visit this cafe, and Terry’s shop, we don’t know what will!
Are you after some hot tips on how to navigate high school, life after school and becoming an adult? Mia Haravitsidis’ new podcast, The Student Space, has all that and more since its launch this year.
The 23-year-old first decided to start the podcast after she graduated from a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce which she wasn’t passionate about and she wanted to stop other students from making the same mistake.
“In high school, I really wanted to be this big CEO, working corporate and I loved the subject Business Management so I thought, ‘I’m going to do commerce at the University of Melbourne’,” Mia tells The Greek Herald.
“But I just went through the whole course hating it but too stubborn to quit. There was no pressure from family, no pressure from myself, but kind of like society pressure where just because you got a high ATAR, you should do a high ATAR course.
“At the end of the degree, my two and only friends at university got jobs at big corporate firms and Microsoft and I didn’t get any of those jobs because I didn’t have good enough marks or experience. So I thought, ‘I’m just going to do a gap year’.”
Mia Haravitsidis studied commerce when she first left high school.
It was on this gap year, as Mia was sipping cocktails on the Greek island of Mykonos with her sister, where the spark for The Student Space podcast was truly ignited.
“I was actually sitting on that beach and I wrote down everything I wished I knew when I was in Year 11 and Year 12. Over the last three years, I’ve learnt that your ATAR doesn’t matter, you don’t have to deal with society pressures and I thought ‘students need to hear this’,” Mia says.
On her return to Australia, Mia studied a Masters of Secondary Teaching at the University of Melbourne to become a fully-fledged educator. She then self-taught herself everything there is to know about podcasting, including crafting episodes, interviewing and editing audio files.
Now, she releases two episodes of The Student Space on Spotify,Apple and Google Podcasts every week and each one is different. She’s interviewed current university students about their university course, people who have taken a non-traditional path from school (such as TAFE or starting their own business), and industry professionals who debunk university terminology, ATARs and everything in between.
“The response has been really great. I’ve been quite blown away by everything,” Mia says.
Mia’s podcast has been a success so far.
“I’ve been lucky enough that schools have reached out and I’ve gone to speak at schools just about wellbeing, study, different things like that.
“Actually, while I’ve been talking at schools, a lot of students come up to me at the end and say, ‘can you do an episode on this?’ and I definitely have. The whole aim by the end is that students are like feeding me what they want to hear and then I’ll create the episode for them.”
From there, Mia says, it’s all about focusing on the bigger picture.
“At school, we’re conditioned to follow one certain path. We’re conditioned to go to high school and then go to university and get a really good job. But I think now there’s so much disruption to that, that there’s no norm,” Mia says.
“My whole main message is your life can be whatever you want it to be and you can be so successful no matter what path you take. That’s what I kind of want to remind students. That they really can make the most of anything and they don’t have to do it the traditional way.”
