The first sound Claire Smith heard when she landed in Australia from the UK was the carolling song of a nearby magpie. That was enough to make her fall in love with Australian wildlife.

Very quickly, Claire poured all her energy into looking after injured animals, which seemed funny for a girl who grew up in the English countryside the daughter of a hunting dog master.

She began volunteering for wildlife rescue groups, and caring for animals at home, where at one stage she had 43 baby birds in her garage.

Claire went on to build the first kangaroo hospital in Queensland, and created the state's first volunteer-run 24-hour wildlife rescue service.

Claire Smith has been named the 2025 Local Hero for Queensland, in the Australian of the Year Awards.

This episode of Conversations touches on conservation, the environment, wildlife carers, kangaroos on the road, what to do when you hit a kangaroo, birding, birds, foxhunting, hunting, native wildlife, pests, animal husbandry.

Dave Pearson runs Bite Club, a support service for anyone who has survived a shark attack. Dave’s own brush with death came in 2011, when a three-metre-long bull shark almost tore his arm off. Dave lived that day, but it’s what happened during his recovery that he didn’t see coming.

Dave Pearson was with his mates on the NSW mid-north coast back in 2011, and couldn’t get in the water fast enough to try out his brand new surfboard.

He’d caught a few ripper waves when he was slammed by what felt like a freight train.

Under the water, through the bubbles and the shock, Dave saw something huge, brown and grey.

Dave survived that day, but it’s what happened during his recovery that he didn’t see coming.

He founded Bite Club to support survivors through the mental heath challenges following their shark attacks.

This episode of Conversations touches on an epic personal story, grief, shark attacks, PTSD, surfing, and mental health.

Meet Doug Quin, sound designer and naturalist who makes field recordings all over the world. Hear what Doug heard when he got up close to emperor penguins, lions and vultures. (R)

Sound designer and naturalist Doug Quin has been highly attuned to sound since he was a young child growing up in Algeria under the threat of bombing. 

Through his family’s travels and his years at a Scottish boarding school, Doug fell in love with the outdoors, and especially with wintery landscapes. 

He later transformed his deep curiosity about nature and skills in music and art into a prolific career. 

Since the early 1980s Doug has been making field recordings in every corner of the Earth, and putting them to use in work spanning all media. 

His extensive credits include designing sound for films such as Jurassic Park 3 and countless nature documentaries, collaborating with the Kronos Quartet, composing soundscapes for museums and art galleries, releasing albums, and contributing planetary ambiences to the score of the game Spore.   

This episode of Conversations touches on the natural world, Jurassic Park 3, animals, nature, silence, Antarctica, origin stories, Scotland, Algeria, birding, birdsong, war, bombing, resilience and family.

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

In 2018, Shanelle Dawson's family were the subject of a hit true crime podcast which helped convict her father Chris Dawson of her mother's murder. Now she's reclaiming her own story and the story of her mother Lynette.Help and support is always available by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14

Shanelle Dawson was four years old when her mother Lynette disappeared from the family home. 

Shanelle's teenage babysitter, a former student of her father's was moved into the family home soon afterwards. She began wearing Lynette's wedding ring, and her clothes, and became a reluctant stepmother to her two daughters.

Shanelle was raised believing her mother had abandoned her. But over 30 years later, after the family was the subject of a hit true crime podcast called The Teacher's Pet, in 2022 Chris Dawson was found guilty of his wife's murder and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Throughout her life, Shanelle was dealing with the aftermath of trauma, lies and family violence.

But she also found the strength to confront her father and to create an entirely new life for herself and her own daughter.

This episode of Conversations contains discussion about family history, family secrets, domestic violence, murder, grooming, missing people, mother-daughter relationships, crime, cold cases, crime reporting, podcasts, true crime podcasts, media, Northern Beaches, Sydney, NSW, Australia, The Australian, Hedley Thomas, The Teacher's Pet, Lynne Dawson, Chris Dawson, Lynette Dawson murder, family violence, victims, childhood trauma, teachers, high school, emotional violence, psychological violence, domestic abuse, babysitter, cover-up, missing bodies, stepmothers, step sisters, extended families, autobiographies, deception, misogyny, law, court cases, criminal courts, convictions, sentencing, victim impact statements. 

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

Tony spent three decades in and out of jail for property crimes and safecracking. When he joined an unusual club inside Hobart's Risdon Prison, he found his voice for the first time. Then a few years ago, on a fishing trawler far out to sea, he began the painful process of changing his life.

Tony Bull grew up across the road from Hobart's Risdon Prison.

As child he started running with a crowd of boys who stole money for the woodman and the milkman from people's front doorsteps.

In late primary school he found himself in trouble with the law for the first time.

He was 17 when he first went to jail, in Queensland's Boggo Road after a car chase with the police in Cairns.

A year later, he was back in Tasmania, and inside Risdon Prison for the first time.

It was a scary experience because he'd heard so many unsettling sounds coming from inside the prison walls when he was a child.

In his 20s, Tony joined the Spartan Debating Club inside the jail. The prisoners, including Chopper Read, often debated teams from outside the jail, and their families were sometimes allowed in to watch the debates.

Learning to debate changed how Tony used his voice. He eventually became yard boss, a conduit between the prisoners and the Superintendent.

Some years later he was out of jail and working on a fishing boat called the 'Diana' when he had a pre-dawn epiphany far out at sea.

He realised it was finally time for him to break the cycle of crime and incarceration in his own life.

Tony worked incredibly hard to unlearn some of his old habits which had previously led him straight back into jail.

Today he lives in his own unit with his beloved dog Princess and runs a home maintenance business.

This episode of Conversations contains discussion around prison, jail, incarceration, youth detention, youth crime, burglary, break and enter, safe cracking, criminals, inmates, Hobart, Risdon Prison, Tasmania, Queensland, Cairns, Brisbane, police, corrections, debating, inmate reform, prison reform, Chopper Reid, family relationships, fishing, boating, Salvation army, rehabilitation, crime prevention, fishing trawlers, crime and punishment, safecracker, lighthouse, swimming, ocean swimming, The Diana, living alone, relationships.

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

Sue Ellen Kusher’s father was an ASIO agent, and she and her siblings were taught to memorise number plates, spot unusual behaviour, and keep the family business secret at all costs.

Sue-Ellen’s parents were ASIO agents living secretly in the Brisbane suburbs at the height of the Cold War.

Their mission was to locate and track Soviet agents, and they enlisted their 3 young children to help.

Sue-Ellen was taught to memorise numberplates, stake out buildings, and never ever let anyone else know the truth about her family.

During the Melbourne Olympics Sue-Ellen’s family secretly hosted the Petrovs, Australia’s famous Russian defectors… they spent much of their time together in beer gardens at the Gold Coast until Vladimir Petrov nearly gave them all away.

This episode of Conversations contains discussion about spies, secret agents, ASIO, cold war, China, Russia, Canberra, Brisbane, Australian history, Australian politics, world history, 20th Century history, family relationships, siblings, security intelligence, national intelligence, national secrets, secret keeping, defence, national security, diplomatic work, undercover, surveillance, Petrovs, the Petrov affair, ASIO files, spy kids, Olympic Games, Brisbane Olympics.

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

A songwriter's songwriter, John Prine turned his often bemused view of people and politics into songs for fifty years. 

John Prine October 1946 — April 2020

John first picked up a guitar at fourteen, encouraged by his older brother. He started writing songs when he couldn't remember the lyrics to existing ones.

Growing up in Maywood, a suburb of Chicago, the Prine boys had a wealth of music around. There were country, folk, and rock and roll shows on the weekends, and The Grand Ole Opry on their father's radio. Just as influential were trips to visit family in Paradise, Kentucky.

By the late 1960s after his first, reluctant performance at an open-mic night, John's song writing talent saw him become a regular on the folk circuit.

Encouraged by Kris Kristofferson, he was persuaded to give away his regular gig as a mailman; and songs from John's first album, "John Prine", released in 1971, are still popular and relevant today.

John toured and recorded regularly across five decades, as well as collaborating with and providing songs for many of the music industry's biggest names.

Bob Dylan cites John as one of his favourite songwriters, and Johnny Cash recorded one of John's most famous songs, "Sam Stone".

John won three Grammy awards and was inducted to both the Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame.

John Prine passed away in 2020. 

This episode of Conversations contains discussion about music, guitar, postal services, American history, United States of America, USA, Chicago, Nashville, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, musicians, singing, singer-songwriters, songwriting, composition, country music, folk music, touring, Kentucky, music industry, lung cancer, cancer treatment, family, autobiograpy, The Tree of Forgiveness,  

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

Peter Lalor tells the story of 9 year old Lennie Gwyther's 1000km solo horseback ride to see the grand opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.

When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932, anyone who was anyone was part of the celebrations.

There were floats and dancers, and a spectacular firework display.

Right in the heart of the grand proceedings was the young Lennie Gwyther from country Victoria, and his horse Ginger Mick.

The story of Lennie and Ginger, and their long journey to see the opening of the Bridge, captured the imagination of depression-era Australia.

This episode of Conversations contains discussion about Australian History, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Depression, 20th Century history, Victoria, Leongatha, farming, horse riding, adventure, childhood, family relationships, biography, Sydney, New South Wales, Melbourne, Canberra, ACT, historical figures, Australian political history, Francis de Groot, King George V, The Bridge, writing, research, historian, 

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

People travel from all over the world to learn about horses from Ken Faulkner. But after a life-threatening riding accident on his favourite horse, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, rediscovering himself in the process.

When Ken Faulkner was growing up in rural Queensland, he saw horses as tools for farm work, using them to muster and get around the station.

But his very pragmatic view of these enigmatic creatures changed when Ken got his very own horse called Sascha, and 'started' her from scratch.

Sascha helped Ken develop his own style of horsemanship, and in the process Ken's attitude toward himself also changed, as he edged closer and closer to the man he always wanted to be.

Since then, Ken has become so respected for how he transforms horses and their riders, that people travel from all over the world to learn from him.

After a terrible accident on one of his favourite horses, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, and at the same time he discovered himself all over again.

This episode of Conversations includes discussion about horses, horsemanship, horse riding, horse training, cattle stations, Australian outback, animal behaviour, traumatic brain injury, TBI, farming, racing, Melbourne Cup, horse accident, accident, acquired brain injury, Queensland, France, Japan, United States of America, USA, ranches, equestrian, rodeo, cowboys. 

Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Sarah's most memorable guests through out the years. 

Gisela Kaplan fell under the spell of birds when hand-rearing a magpie nestling. After it learned to speak, she was so intrigued she switched careers and began her research into avian behaviour. Her many books on Australian native birds have been ground-breaking.

Listen to Gisela's other conversation with Sarah Kanowski here.

Many assumptions about the nature of birds and their behaviour are completely wrong when applied to Australian birds.

Gisela Kaplan was a professor of sociology when a magpie nestling she was hand raising bonded closely with her, followed her about, and learned to speak.

Her curiosity about birds became so strong she switched careers to become a field biologist and animal behaviourist.

Based in Armidale NSW, Gisela has conducted extensive research into avian behaviour. Her second PhD was a study of the songs of Australian magpies.

Gisela's many books on Australian native birds have changed the way these creatures are understood.

Along with her teaching, writing and research in ornithology, Gisela has been a wildlife carer for 25 years, raising countless birds of all ages.

This episode of Conversations contains discussion around birds, native Australian animals, Australian fauna, magpies, cockatoos, tawny frogmouths, owls, galahs, domestic pets, animal rehabilitation, animal rescue, Australian wildlife, Australian bush, animal behaviour, ornithology, biology, field biology, wildlife carers, bird rearing, bird release, Bird Bonds.