In a conversation that peels back layers of both fiction and reality, Michael Ball demonstrates why Adelaide sits at the heart of Australia’s intelligence network while his character Zoe Baird navigates a bio-terror plot during a pop concert. Ball’s journey from RAAF intelligence sergeant to published author reveals the hidden world of modern espionage, where accountants and IT managers pose greater threats than gun-wielding operatives, and where Adelaide’s unassuming facade masks its role as a significant intelligence hub.

The SA Drink of the Week delivers a genuine surprise as Bickford’s new sugar-free cordial range passes the ultimate test of a self-proclaimed “super taster” who typically rejects artificial sweeteners. These magnificent recreations using fruit juice concentrate and stevia prove that innovation can honour tradition without compromise.

Our Musical Pilgrimage celebrates the decade that defined a generation with Denim and Stripes, an original eighties anthem crafted for radio newsreader extraordinnaire, Mel Usher, weaving together Madonna’s Adelaide Oval concert memories with the fashion and music that shaped an era.

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Running Sheet: Bomb Plot At Adelaide Oval With Michael Ball

00:00:00 Intro

Introduction

00:03:43 SA Drink Of The Week

This week’s SA Drinks Of The Week, are the five flavours available in Bickford’s new sugar-free cordial range.

When Sofia from Bickford’s reached out offering samples of their new sugar-free cordial range, my immediate instinct was decline. As a self-proclaimed super taster with hypersensitive olfactory sensors, artificial sweeteners typically leave a metallic, clingy aftertaste that ruins any drinking experience. My honesty about this aversion only strengthened Sofia’s determination to prove these products different.

The verdict: these cordials are magnificent. Released during Dry July, Bickford’s has achieved something remarkable with their five-flavour range including lime juice, lemon juice, tropical, lemon lime bitters, and raspberry. Using fruit juice concentrate for flavour and a naturally derived stevia blend for sweetness, they’ve eliminated the telltale artificial aftertaste that plagues most sugar-free alternatives.

The lime cordial, crucial to get right given Bickford’s heritage, delivers authentic citrus punch without compromise. The raspberry, typically the most challenging flavour to recreate without leaving tanginess from artificial substitutes, tastes indistinguishable from its sugared counterpart. At just eight calories per serve and available nationally through Coles, these cordials prove that innovation can honour tradition.

For anyone who’s sworn off sugar-free beverages after previous disappointments, these warrant one more attempt.

00:08:18 Michael Ball

Michael Ball’s entrance into our studio carries the quiet confidence of someone who spent over a decade analysing threats most of us never consider. His latest novel drops readers directly into Adelaide Oval during a terrorist attack, but this isn’t mere sensationalism. Ball knows something most South Australians don’t: our seemingly sleepy state operates as a genuine intelligence hotbed.

“Adelaide is a hotbed of intelligence and spies,” Ball reveals, explaining how military intelligence units, research facilities, and cutting-edge technology create exactly the environment where modern espionage thrives. “Spies these days aren’t James Bond running in with guns. If you’re doing that, something’s gone horribly wrong.” Today’s intelligence operatives work as accountants and IT managers, quietly extracting data without dramatic car chases or explosions that would signal operational failure.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Ball explains his role as an intelligence analyst, serving as the enemy’s representative in planning rooms. Using empathy as a weapon, analysts must think like adversaries to provide decision superiority. “You cannot climb Mount Everest without climbing all the other hills and mountains beforehand,” he explains when discussing resilience, connecting military discipline to the broader challenges facing young people today.

Ball’s path to writing began during a severe mental health episode, part of the PTSD that affects many intelligence veterans. His wife’s challenge that “you always give up” sparked the determination to complete his fantasy novel, but it was watching his three-year-old daughter enjoy Taylor Swift that triggered the darker inspiration for Zoe Baird’s story. The bastard in him, as he puts it, wondered what would happen if someone deployed a bio-weapon at such an event.

The author’s approach to character development draws directly from his intelligence training. Writing 14-year-old Zoe required the same psychological profiling skills he used to understand enemy mindsets. Listening to Paramore songs on repeat for ten days, Ball immersed himself in the emotional landscape of his protagonist, creating a character his daughter could admire when older.

“I wanted this to be a character that my daughter can read when she’s older and want to be like,” Ball explains. Zoe succeeds not through superhuman abilities but through intelligence, resourcefulness, and resilience. She fails frequently but continues forward, embodying the same qualities Ball taught in his military leadership workshops.

Ball’s current work with Disaster Relief Australia provides another lens through which to understand his writing. Veterans flock to disaster zones because “a disaster zone is just a war zone without bullets,” offering familiar territory where they can serve again while processing their own trauma. The organisation’s research proves that helping others reduces PTSD symptoms, creating a positive cycle of service and recovery.

The author’s workshops in schools teach failure as a learning tool, using intelligence concepts like center of gravity to help students identify what truly matters in their goals. His four-stage failure framework helps young people understand that most setbacks stem from unclear goals, changing circumstances, bad advice, or lack of proper support systems.

Learn more about Zoe Baird and her novels and if you see this before September 26, 2025, you can enter the art competition Michael discusses. Primary and Secondary school artists could win $500 and have their artwork featured in Zoe’s next novel.

Michael Ball on Instagram.

Michael Ball on Good Reads.

Zoe Baird’s: Popstars & Pathogens on Amazon.

01:34:09 Musical Pilgrimage

In the Musical Pilgrimate, we play a track by Steve Davis & The Virtualosos, Denim & Stripes, a new 80’s anthem written for Adelaide newsreader, Mel Usher.

Adelaide Oval’s role as the setting for Michael Ball’s fictional terrorist attack connects to its reality as a venue for major international artists, from Madonna and the Rolling Stones to Adele and Pink. This link to pop culture stardom provides the perfect bridge to celebrate one of South Australia’s most recognisable media personalities.

Radio newsreader Mel Usher’s recent milestone birthday revealed her status as an absolute tragic for eighties culture. Her social media shares about denim, stripes, and the decade’s distinctive fashion aesthetic sparked inspiration for a collaborative tribute. Steve wrote the song and then used his virtual session band, Steve Davis & The Virtualosos to bring it to life, crafting an eighties anthem that weaves together the era’s defining musical and fashion elements.

“Denim and Stripes” celebrates everything that made the decade memorable: the fashion choices we now view with nostalgic affection, the music that defined a generation, and the unapologetic embrace of style over subtlety. From peroxide tips to padded shoulders and acid-wash, the song captures the decade’s spirit for anyone who lived through or appreciates that transformative period in popular culture.

The track is now available across all streaming platforms, serving as both a birthday tribute to Mel and a broader celebration of the decade that continues to influence contemporary style and sound.

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