Dads on the Air is the most successful community radio program in Australia. It is archived by the National Library of Australia and for researchers represents the most extensive collection of information on the push for family law and child support reform in Australia. It also documents the history of the fatherhood movement in Australia and internationally and provides a fascinating insight into mainstream society’s shifting attitudes towards fathers and fatherhood. The program began with a small group of disgruntled separated men in August 2000, and has since gone on to attract a team of people with extensive journalistic, entertainment, academic and internet experience. Dads on the Air is registered as a not-for-profit group with the NSW Department of Fair Trading. The show played a pivotal role in the debate over family law reform, acting as a conduit for groups and individuals who could not get their voices heard in the mainstream media. As the years have passed, Dads on the Air has widened its focus to cover broader social issues concerning parenthood and gender issues and to promote a positive view of men, boys, fathers and fatherhood. The program has attracted leading politicians, authors, academics, and lobbyists from Australia and around the world. Press releases, public notices and other material for broadcast can be sent to us via our website www.dadsontheair.com.au. Dads on the Air can be heard on Thursday mornings 9am – 9.30am on the Community Radio Network around Australia, in an easily downloadable MP3 format and as a podcast. An entertaining mix of music, public information and wide ranging interviews aimed at fathers and those who care about them, the show covers issues concerning fatherhood, shared parenting, the Family Court, child support, Parental Alienation, International Parental Child Abduction, child welfare, boys’ education, male suicide, men’s health, masculinity, gender bias and other father, children and family related issues.
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Dads on the Air is the most successful community radio program in Australia. It is archived by the National Library of Australia and for researchers represents the most extensive collection of information on the push for family law and child support reform in Australia. It also documents the history of the fatherhood movement in Australia and internationally and provides a fascinating insight into mainstream society’s shifting attitudes towards fathers and fatherhood. The program began with a small group of disgruntled separated men in August 2000, and has since gone on to attract a team of people with extensive journalistic, entertainment, academic and internet experience. Dads on the Air is registered as a not-for-profit group with the NSW Department of Fair Trading. The show played a pivotal role in the debate over family law reform, acting as a conduit for groups and individuals who could not get their voices heard in the mainstream media. As the years have passed, Dads on the Air has widened its focus to cover broader social issues concerning parenthood and gender issues and to promote a positive view of men, boys, fathers and fatherhood. The program has attracted leading politicians, authors, academics, and lobbyists from Australia and around the world. Press releases, public notices and other material for broadcast can be sent to us via our website www.dadsontheair.com.au. Dads on the Air can be heard on Thursday mornings 9am – 9.30am on the Community Radio Network around Australia, in an easily downloadable MP3 format and as a podcast. An entertaining mix of music, public information and wide ranging interviews aimed at fathers and those who care about them, the show covers issues concerning fatherhood, shared parenting, the Family Court, child support, Parental Alienation, International Parental Child Abduction, child welfare, boys’ education, male suicide, men’s health, masculinity, gender bias and other father, children and family related issues.
With special guest: Dr Will Davies … in conversation with Bill Kable Will Davies has been on the program before, bringing us inside stories from The Great War. Today we get to discuss Will’s new book Secret and Special. We hear about a boys’ own adventure story that started at a beautiful part of Sydney and which took our adventurers on a dangerous trip to Singapore harbour. They were on a night mission to put limpet mines on some ships in port. The unsuspecting Japanese occupiers of Singapore never knew what hit them. The difference from most adventure stories is that this is all true and draws on the meticulous research of Dr Davies that we have come to expect. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Jeff Apter … in conversation with Bill Kable Everyone remembers Jon English with those raccoon eyes and tall thin frame contributing to a very distinctive appearance. Jon English had regular appearances in so many different forms of entertainment. He was a rock singer, a star of live musicals, a romantic star of acclaimed television series, and at all times a rascal. In between those activities he wrote sensitive music and became an entrepreneur. But there was a lot more to his fascinating story as revealed by our guest today. Jeff Apter wrote Behind Dark Eyes: The True Story of Jon English. It is the subtitle of the book which gives a clue that all was not sunshine and roses for Jon English. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Dr Sara Webb … in conversation with Bill Kable The title of this program may look as though it will make us doom struck or at least a little gloomy but strangely it does not. This might have something to do with our guest who is so bright and cheery talking about these biggest of the biggest of issues. Dr Sara Webb has written The Little Book of Cosmic Catastrophes (That Could End the World) for a general audience who will be able to get a better understanding of where we have come from and where our Earth and humanity itself will go. Today we talk about what has happened in the distant past, in fact when time began. An amazing number of things had to go just right for the universe as we know it to exist. This goes back to the laws of physics as explored in the recent past by Albert Einstein. Who knew that if the forces between the atomic particles were different, the matter of which we are made simply would not have formed? Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Paul Ham … in conversation with Bill Kable Our topics do not come much bigger or more interesting than The Soul: A History of the Human Mind written by our guest today Paul Ham. Certain ideas come to mind when we mention the word “Soul”. Are we talking about soul music or the definition in the catechism or maybe the soul of America which was said to be lost during the Vietnam war? Paul tells us that the soul can mean all of these things and more. Paul has tackled a topic which is huge in breadth and also extended over the millennia to the beginnings of civilisation. His discovery is that what humans first called the soul was originally thought to be a part of all of us. The soul survived the death of the body and then ventured to an underworld which might be Heaven or Hell. Some Christians believed at one stage that there was also a halfway house called Purgatory but that has disappeared in more recent beliefs. In fact the soul itself disappeared mysteriously during the period called the enlightenment until we arrive where we are today and scientists tell us that the mind is a creation of the brain. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Dr Edward Kruk in conversation with Bill Kable and Ken Thompson Our guest today has produced a book of 167 pages, The Equal Parent Presumption: Social Justice in the Legal Determination of Parenting after Divorce, that should be required reading for everyone who works in the space of parenting after divorce; and that includes judges who routinely make sole parenting orders, psychologists who offer family therapy, and all the other institutions that influence family relationships. The trouble really arises because although there is a mantra of acting “in the best interest of the child” this becomes a discretionary assessment by a judge who has no training in the area of child development or family dynamics and furthermore the Judge takes no interest in reviewing the outcome of the decision. Dr Kruk invites us to take the child’s position. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Dr Billy Garvey … in conversation with Bill Kable Our guest today is Dr Billy Garvey who is an expert in a field where you do not get provided with a guide book. All parents know the feeling when following the birth of your child you are set free expecting to know how to raise this very complex small version of ourselves. One of the first things Dr Billy tells us that it is quite normal not to immediately develop the bonding and attachment that we sometimes hear about. Using his own example with his two children we hear that it took some time for this to develop. Ten things I wish you knew about your child’s mental health is there to help all of us who encounter difficulties with children of any age. This extends from having a baby that cries at night too much, right through to sullen teenagers. That includes most of us. Whatever the problem is it is most likely that it has been seen before in Dr Billy’s 20 years of practice and the advantage here is that you do not have to go into a long waiting line, sometimes years long, to get advice from the doctor. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Robin Bowles … in conversation with Bill Kable In the Northern Territory of Australia there have always been strange, spooky happenings. The disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio can be added to the list with so many fascinating elements and weird explanations offered. This real life story has even resulted in a horror movie being produced with some clear references to what happened on that lonely road right in the centre of the Australian mainland in the middle of the night in July 2001. What we do know is that after driving off at night with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in completely unknown and wild country Peter Falconio went missing and the only explanation we have is from that girlfriend whose behaviour was to say the least unusual. After becoming interested in the case after a telephone call from a friend, Robin Bowles entered the scene and did her usual thorough research. This included more than 50 hours with the accused and interviewing many of the main players. We get a glimpse into a world of criminals, forensic experts, seedy drug underworlds, worldwide media networks and the realities of high profile, high stakes legal process. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Tim Baker … in conversation with Bill Kable Patting the shark? This does not seem to be a good life lesson but when we hear Tim Baker explain the title it all makes sense. Surfers such as Mick Fanning have had to confront their mortality. Mick is an old friend of Tim’s and he faced a shark in front of the world’s cameras. Many of us saw him swimming next to a man eating shark in the shark’s own territory. Tim Baker has had to face a different type of mortal threat, namely a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer. We do not know how we would react if confronted with this situation but Tim’s new book Patting the Shark takes us right into that world and he gives us a no holds barred account of what it is really like. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Prof Ian Hickie AO … in conversation with Bill Kable We often hear about the rise in the rate of depression and anxiety in our community. The stigma of poor mental health has been reduced significantly so that sports stars such as Greg Inglis can now go on television and discuss their personal battles with depression without fear of any repercussions. But even when so many people are opening up about their mental health battles there are questions we are left with. These might include what can be done to improve mental health without lining up for perhaps a year to see a Psychiatrist? What are the signs to be wary about? This is where Professor Ian Hickie enters the picture as we speak with him today. This new book A User’s Guide to the Mind is written along similar lines as a good health guide for our physical health. It is written with all ages in mind and can be dipped into for particular topics. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: William McInnes … in conversation with Bill Kable In today’s program we go behind the public face of William McInnes. We do not speak to Max Connors from SeaChange, we speak to William McInnes the Dad from Queensland about his real life love of being a father to his son and daughter. We get to hear lots of stories as included in William’s new book Fatherhood: Stories about being A Dad. As William tells us, being a Dad is a serious business but it is at the same time a funny, heart-warming and at times scary experience. This is a Father’s Day special that will bring back many memories for all sorts of Dads and for the children and grandchildren of Dads. There are tales here that sound just like a friendly chat over the back fence, or at a backyard BBQ. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Dr Will Davies … in conversation with Bill Kable The battlefields of World War 1 are now mostly beautiful green fields with some still hiding bullets and ordinance from over 100 years ago. To fully appreciate the sacrifices made in the First World War by young Australians from “the Golden Generation” you have to know what you are looking at when you see these fields more than 100 years after the shots were fired. Our guest today Dr Will Davies can help visitors get the most out of a visit. After hearing the stories from Will, names like Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Fromelles and Ypres will never seem the same. There are extraordinary monuments representing the countries that participated in the war to end all wars. These include the English, the American, the Canadian, even one from Newfoundland. And there is the Australian monument at Villers-Bretonneux. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Marco Renai … in conversation with Bill Kable What comes across very clearly when we speak with Marco Renai is that he is a ball of energy. After Marco left school he had a path available to him in his family’s catering business. HIs first solo business venture was to set up a gym where members could improve their physical condition and wellness under Marco’s guidance. This was Marco’s first attempt at interacting with the community but alas Covid 19 struck. When the members stopped coming, the business folded. This is where Marco’s strong family background and personal experience in the field of education shaped what happened next. While Marco had struggled with the discipline and uncompromising system of education he always had his loving and supportive family to fall back on. But when he was asked to volunteer some mentoring to local youth in the Gold Coast region of Queensland he realised that for many young men this safety net was not available. Sure enough, for many of the young men dropping out of the education system led on to big trouble with society and the law. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Jeff Apter … in conversation with Bill Kable It is hard to discover who the real Lee Gordon was but Jeff Apter provides a whirlwind tour of this extraordinary life in his new book Lee Gordon Presents. We know Lee Gordon arrived for the first time in Australia in September 1953. We know he left for the last time in 1963 before he died alone in a London hotel at the age (probably) of 40. Not much is certain about his real name, his date of birth and why this brash American decided on making Australia his home. But in the ten years he lived in Australia he revealed himself as a force of nature. Lee Gordon must have been a charming personality. He prevailed upon a whole host of the most successful entertainers in America to make the long trip to Australia and perform in sometimes primitive venues such as the Sydney Stadium. Those entertainers who fell under his spell included Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and the list goes on. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Chrissie Foster … in conversation with Bill Kable This is the story of how Chrissie Foster responded and refused to back down when confronted by an all-powerful secretive protected institution. Chrissie Foster’s family tragedies and the tepid response by the Catholic Church changed her from living a life of domestic harmony and peace in a totally unexpected way. No doubt when the choice of schools had to be made for their daughters there were discussions between Chrissie and her husband Anthony. Because of Chrissie’s background being raised and educated in the Church they chose a Catholic primary school. Years later they discovered what their daughters had endured. Podcast (mp3)
With special guest: Dr Gregory Smith OAM … in conversation with Bill Kable Now well and truly out of the forest he described in his first book, Gregory Smith has produced a new book called Better than Happiness in which he lets us know how he has progressed in the five years since we heard from him last time. Gregory’s life story is extraordinary and uplifting. Gregory had a type of epiphany when sitting on a park bench in 1999 when a stranger showed him some kindness. From there it has been one step at a time. After being told so many times while he was growing up that he was stupid, he slowly began to realise that this was wrong. He found that he could learn more things than just how to survive day to day. In fact he achieved recognition in an academic field. Senior people were coming to him for advice. Podcast (mp3)
Dads on the Air is the most successful community radio program in Australia. It is archived by the National Library of Australia and for researchers represents the most extensive collection of information on the push for family law and child support reform in Australia. It also documents the history of the fatherhood movement in Australia and internationally and provides a fascinating insight into mainstream society’s shifting attitudes towards fathers and fatherhood. The program began with a small group of disgruntled separated men in August 2000, and has since gone on to attract a team of people with extensive journalistic, entertainment, academic and internet experience. Dads on the Air is registered as a not-for-profit group with the NSW Department of Fair Trading. The show played a pivotal role in the debate over family law reform, acting as a conduit for groups and individuals who could not get their voices heard in the mainstream media. As the years have passed, Dads on the Air has widened its focus to cover broader social issues concerning parenthood and gender issues and to promote a positive view of men, boys, fathers and fatherhood. The program has attracted leading politicians, authors, academics, and lobbyists from Australia and around the world. Press releases, public notices and other material for broadcast can be sent to us via our website www.dadsontheair.com.au. Dads on the Air can be heard on Thursday mornings 9am – 9.30am on the Community Radio Network around Australia, in an easily downloadable MP3 format and as a podcast. An entertaining mix of music, public information and wide ranging interviews aimed at fathers and those who care about them, the show covers issues concerning fatherhood, shared parenting, the Family Court, child support, Parental Alienation, International Parental Child Abduction, child welfare, boys’ education, male suicide, men’s health, masculinity, gender bias and other father, children and family related issues.
