In a slow week, Dr Ebbie Swemmer examines the skins of dozens of patients, performs many surgeries and saves people from the horrible fate of melanomas and other aggressive skin cancers. In a busy week, he is run off his feet, often as the only skin care option for thousands of remote Queenslanders. In a year he sees up to 10,000 patients from outback towns. He extends the hours of his practice to fit more people into his diary and shows leniency to those who struggle to afford care. If his service was to disappear, an entire geographical region would be at risk of medical neglect. Ebbie is almost 79 years old.

For five decades Ebbie has provided a suite of medical surgeries and services throughout remote communities in South Africa and Australia. He used to treat a dozen stab wounds a week in South African mines. He has performed more than 2000 caesarean surgeries. For the past decade he has chosen to provide his care and expertise to Far North Queensland's inland communities.

He has recently moved his practice, Rural Medical Skin Clinic, even further inland to Mutchilba, a community of farmers that, until his arrival, had grown used to travelling hours to find medical treatment.

He also has history as a military officer, a farmer, a naturalist and a diver. He has lived many lives in the space of one. He has no desire to slow down and is planning to expand his practice and recruit more doctors to rural Queensland. But if he is unsuccessful in attracting more medical talent, he worries what might become of his patients’ health when one day he does, or is forced to, stop.

On episode 52 of the podcast, I speak with Assistant Commissioner Brett Schafferius and Sergeant Lyall McKelvie from the Far North Queensland police district about several police and crime topics. Brett and Lyall have a combined six decades of police experience across multiple disciplines, and have seen about as much as a policing career can offer.
We spoke about the police response to recent, horrific events in the state, how police are adapting their approaches to tackling youth crime, trends in domestic violence across Queensland, the scale of drug-related crime and the danger of stings on drug labs, and how the public can work with police for better outcomes.
The officers also shared stories from their careers, both tragic and humorous, and described what a career in policing can offer. men have a combined six decades of police experience across multiple disciplines, and have seen about as much as a policing career can offer.

Jill Boltz is a two-time Olympian, Commonwealth Games medalist and former world record holder in two athletics distances. She is now devoting her time to training future generations of athletes in the outer regions of Queensland where talented kids typically have not had a fair go. On this episode we spoke about her own Olympic journey and how she is readying those who have a chance of representing Australia at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

The How Good are Humans podcast recently published its 50th episode.

To celebrate, we have chosen the top 15 moments from the first 50 episodes and ranked them here in this special episode of the podcast that looks back on an awesome group of humans with truly inspiring stories to share.

Warning, this episode contains distressing material and topics such as suicide and sexual assault. Support can be found by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 and 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (call 000 in a life-threatening situation).

Shai Ager leads the largest wildlife rescue organisation in Queensland. She and her team have rescued and relocated almost 1000 macropods (kangaroos and wallabies) in conditions that even environmental scientists said were impossible. She personally cares for dozens of wild animals at her own property, consults locally and interstate, and is sent around the country to rescue the most delicate animals and the rarest species in highly sensitive conditions. She has fought government, fought stereotypes from the public and sometimes even fought against persons in her own sector who have tried to stop her and tear her down, and she had triumphed. And she is still only 27.

Boisterous, smart and driven, Shai is a whirlwind of inspiration. 

Three decades ago, Suellen Maunder was using her own furniture as stage props for the productions of what was then thought of as a radical, audacious and in-your-face theatre company. As an actor and director, Suellen and her co-boundary pushers have challenged audiences in regional Australia to see beyond the facades of their own towns and traditional beliefs. Now the JUTE Theatre Company, of which she is the founder and CEO, is recognised as "one of the most innovative and influential art institutions of Australia". After 32 years of engrossing theatre goers, building successive generations of dramatic talent and opening the sector (and the community) to marginalised groups, Suellen is retiring. We took the opportunity to reflect on her life and career, and just how much murder it has involved.

Image credit: JUTE Theatre Company

Lucy Graham is going deep into the subarctic wilderness, alone. Bears, storms and isolation will be her frenemies for three months. So why is she doing this? For fun? Sure. To challenge her adventurous spirit? Absolutely. What about for a cause even greater, beyond just herself?

For years Lucy has lived with pain, drop-you-to-your-knees pain. She previously kayaked more than 2000km along the Canadian coast, suffering in her body every day, but she didn't know what the pain was. Now she does, and she's paddling toward a solution for her and the million Australian women who share her torment.

Lucy is a powerful woman on a mission.

Tracey Hannah is one of the best downhill mountain bikers of all time. As one of the most extreme sports in the world, downhill MTB is replete with stories of catastrophic injuries. Tracey has suffered more than her fair share. But that did not stop her from becoming an eleven-time national champion as well as a world champion in both the junior and elite categories. She literally won a national title with a femur that was still fractured. This lady is a hardcore competitor, and you will love her story. 

Image credit: Tracey Hannah

Dr Narayan Gopalkrishnan has made an impact on some of the toughest problems challenging some of the most impoverished communities across the world. Now, the James Cook University professor and leader within Far North Queensland's social enterprise sector is putting the case to government to properly address and fix Northern Australia's most intractable social and economic issues while strengthening the region's economy and harnessing unused talent from Cairns to the Torres Strait Islands.

Rob Hodge possibly has the largest heart in Far North Queensland, and he is applying it and his street smarts to keeping troubled kids out of prison and giving them a shot a life, which many of them are born without.
As the youngest of 21 children born into poverty in New Zealand, Rob quickly became familiar with the hard life. He was kicked out of every school in the country's North Island. His family were connected to gangs, and he routinely committed offences. But his world changed when he became a 20-year-old father.
Some decades later, Rob has reversed his fortunes and is living for others.