Julia Howe is a young artist whose work is currently showing at Ballarat Art Space. “Chronic” is an exhibition exploring chronic pain using a variety of media - photography, painting, sculpture and animation screen work. This year she graduated from PSC (Photography Studies College) and also works as a graphic designer

Interviewer: Merle Hathaway

Production: Alan Mallows

Geoffrey D'Ombrain, composer, musician, music educator, at 95 years of age talks about his long career in music and his current projects.

You can see & hear some of his music for contemporary dance here -

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2qsYe90hG2pm5ZZuyLj1Qw

And to get an idea of a score -

https://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/work/d-ombrain-geoffrey-under-the-trees

Interviewed by Merle Hathaway 29 June 2026

Production by Alan Mallows

Prof Richard Chew is Director of the Arts Academy of Federation University, Ballarat. A graduate of the Royal College of of Music - International Opera School, he is also a performer (pianist) and composer, writing music for opera, theatre, film and for his trio, Inscape. He talks here about his life-long passion for music and working with the Performing Arts Students of Federation University.

Interviewer: Merle Hathaway, 19 June 2026

Producer: Alan Mallows

A Ballarat Arts Alive exhibition at Kank Wolverang Records Gallery, Main Road, Bakery Hill, Ballarat. 16 May – 13 June 2026. The exhibition featured 60 artists from Ballarat and Castlemaine. Eleven of them, including Peter Sparkman who curated the exhibition for BAA, talk about their work. You'll hear: Alison Parkinson, April Welfare, Daria Betley, Garth Horsfield, ReVerse Butcher (Stephanie Petrik), Vicki Nash and Zlatko Balazic from Ballarat, and Eliza-Jane Gilchrist, John A Smith, and Penny Peckham.

Interviewer: Merle Hathaway (16 May 2026)

Producer: Alan Mallows

Effie Williams, a Ballarat painter on fabrics, talks about growing up in a highly creative circle of family and friends that included many important arts groups, including Ratartat, ERTH, Art is… festival, Weatherboard Painters & Sculptors, Art Hall Learmonth. See Effie's work on Instagram.

Interviewer Merle Hathaways

Joan Goldsmith talks about the programme this year - 7 great films, including "Twiggy" and the Australian "Wolfram" and "One to One" an intimate look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's life in early 1970s New York. The other films are It was just an Accident (Iranian thriller), Sirat (Spanish/French drama), Pasa Faho (Australian comedy) and The Secret Agent (Brazilian thriller). Joan has been a member of the BFF committee for many years and is passionate about the films they select as well as the walks, suppers and dinners that are part of the programme. Buninyong Town Hall is a beautiful heritage venue in the heart of the town, 10 kms from Ballarat, Victoria.

Interviewer: Merle Hathaway

Paul is a self-confessed multi-dimensional person whose background includes teaching, policy advice to governments, building and development. He is a member of Ballarat Heritage Watch and the City of Ballarat's Heritage Advisory Committee.

Interviewed by Merle Hathaway 9 June 2026

Production: Alan Mallows