Ageless with Roz

Today on Ageless with Roz, I’m talking to Paul Brealey, someone who has become involved in the rapidly growing sport of pickleball — not just as a player, but also through his role as a referee.

Pickleball is attracting people of all ages, combining elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, and it is becoming particularly popular as a social and competitive sport for older Australians.

Paul has competed in tournaments around Australia, including the Pan Pacific Masters Games, and I’m curious about what drew him to the sport and what it is like to be responsible for making the calls when the competition gets serious.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Teaching Ethics: Preparing Children for Life’s Hardest Decisions

What makes a good person? How do children learn to make difficult decisions, respect different opinions and think critically about the world around them? These questions have never been more important than they are today. With social media, artificial intelligence and growing community division, teaching children how to think ethically—not what to think—may be one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation.

Today I’m delighted to welcome Dr Mary Anne Whiting to explore why ethics belongs in our schools, how ethical reasoning can be taught, and why these skills matter far beyond the classroom.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Who Should Have the Right to Choose How They Die? – Roy Harvey and Voluntary Assisted Dying

Today we’re talking about something many of us would rather not talk about—but something that becomes increasingly important as we grow older: how much choice should we have over the end of our lives?

My guest is Roy Harvey, a Canberra-based health researcher and long-time advocate for voluntary assisted dying.

Roy’s interest isn’t simply theoretical. He has decades of experience in health research and has also experienced the death of his wife, Anne. He gave evidence to the ACT Legislative Assembly during its inquiry into voluntary assisted dying and continues to campaign for changes to the ACT system.

So today we’re going to explore what voluntary assisted dying actually means, who should be eligible, the difficult questions around dementia and loss of capacity, and what it means to have dignity and choice at the end of life.

Links to the dwdact website and to the Survey that found 81% of ACT voters want change to the VAD ACT.

The website is https://www.dwdact.org.au or

dwdact.org.au If you want to see what changes to the VAD Act 81% of ACT voters support go to

https://www.dwdact.org.au/survey-finds-strong-vad-support/

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Food for Life: Rosemary Stanton on Eating Well and Saving the Planet e 28

Australia’s pioneering public-health nutritionist explains why what we eat matters not only for our health and longevity, but also for the future of the planet.

My guest today is someone whose name many Australians will immediately recognise. Dr Rosemary Stanton has spent almost six decades helping Australians understand food, health and nutrition.

Rosemary was one of Australia’s pioneers in public-health nutrition, the country’s first sports nutritionist, and has written more than 30 books as well as thousands of articles. She received an OAM for her contribution to community health through education in nutrition and dietetics.

But what particularly interests me now is that Rosemary’s thinking has expanded beyond simply asking what is good for us? She is increasingly asking what kind of food system will be good for our children, grandchildren and the planet?

At UTS’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, where she is now an Industry Fellow, Rosemary continues to advocate for healthier and more sustainable food systems—encouraging us to eat more plant foods and to think carefully about our growing dependence on ultra-processed foods.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Stitching Stories 27

Today I’m talking to someone whose work has travelled far beyond the sewing room.

Jenny Bowker is an internationally recognised Australian quilter, teacher and artist whose quilts have been exhibited and admired around the world.

But what fascinates me about Jenny is not simply her extraordinary skill with fabric and thread.

It’s the world that quilting creates around women.

Quilting can look, at first glance, like a quiet domestic craft. Yet when you look more closely, it becomes something much more powerful — a way of preserving history, telling stories, expressing identity, building friendships and creating communities.

And perhaps most interestingly, quilting has created an international network in which women teach one another, support one another and share stories across cultures and generations.

That raises a much bigger question for me:

Can something traditionally associated with women’s domestic lives actually become a powerful form of cultural expression — and even a way of challenging a male-dominated world?

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Today I’m talking with Dr Diana Patterson OAM, an extraordinary Australian adventurer, Antarctic expedition leader, author and researcher.

Diana became the first woman to lead an Australian Antarctic research station. After first travelling to Antarctica in 1987, she spent a summer at Casey before taking charge of Mawson Station in 1989, returning to lead Davis Station in 1995. She also led a conservation team working on Sir Douglas Mawson’s historic huts.

But Diana’s connection with Antarctica didn’t end when she left the continent. Her fascination with its history—and particularly with the sled dogs that accompanied the early explorers—eventually led her to undertake a PhD at Monash University.

Her 2019 doctorate was titled “Humans and canines on the frozen continent: An examination of the relationship between explorers of the heroic era of Antarctica and their sledge dogs.”

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

The Joy of Strings: Keeping the Mandolin Orchestra Tradition Alive in Canberra

Introduction

Today on Ageless with Roz, we’re discovering a musical treasure that many Australians may never have experienced.

The Canberra Mandolin Orchestra has been delighting audiences since 2003 with music that ranges from classical favourites and film themes to folk music, jazz-age tunes and music from cultures around the world. The orchestra brings together players of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and basses, creating the rich sound of a string orchestra using plucked rather than bowed instruments. It also welcomes beginners with tuition and even instrument loans.

My guest is Wal Jurkiewicz, a long-time member of the orchestra, who has helped keep this unique musical tradition alive in Canberra. Today we’ll explore why the mandolin continues to captivate musicians and audiences alike, and why it’s never too late to discover a new passion.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

We spend a great deal of time learning how to live, but very little learning about dying, death and what may come afterwards.

Today I’m talking with Sandra Bamford, a holistic funeral director who has spent many years bringing death back into life. In 2016 she founded Mary Eleanor Natural Funeral Care in Tasmania, pioneering a more personal approach to death care based on love, service and sustainability.

Sandra is also a student of Anthroposophy, inspired by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, and has developed Living Connections: Conscious Dying, Death Care & Spiritual Continuing.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

Aimee Frodsham, is the Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of Canberra Glassworks. She has spent more than 25 years working with artists and craftspeople, including 12 years at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate, before returning to Canberra to help lead one of Australia’s most important centres for contemporary glass. She has championed exhibitions, artist residencies and collaborations with leading Australian artists, while helping ensure that an ancient craft continues to evolve in exciting new ways.

Find out why glass is far more than a beautiful object—it’s a medium of science, history, storytelling and extraordinary human creativity.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.

My Publisher in Chennai: Dr Olivannan and Building Bridges with Books

People sometimes ask me how I find the fascinating people who come onto Ageless with Roz. And today’s guest is particularly easy to explain — because he is my publisher!

I first came to know Dr G. Olivannan through my own books and my connection with Emerald Publishers in Chennai. Over the years, that professional relationship has grown into a friendship, and I’ve come to appreciate not only his knowledge of publishing but his extraordinary energy and curiosity.

Dr Olivannan is the CEO of Emerald Publishers, the company founded by his father in 1982. He has a PhD in publishing from the University of Madras, is Vice President (South) of the Federation of Indian Publishers, has been closely involved with the Chennai International Book Fair and founded the Chennai Literary Festival. He is also a former Rotary District Governor and an author himself.

Contact: [email protected]

Sponsors: Thanks to PrimeLife Partners

**Disclaimer : This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not intended to replace professional advice.