Real Risk

In my view, the very embodiment of courage and resilience is my friend Gill Hicks.  As a young woman Gill travelled to London to find adventure and a new life. She found success and everything she had hoped for in that wonderful city. But that all changed in "a breath", when she was just meters away from a detonating suicide bomber on the London Underground in July 2005.  The ghastly physical impact was just the beginning of a journey that would lead her on a quest to literally promote world peace. Gill is articulate, kind and outspoken about her vision of what humanity could look like. I need to sit down with her for a few more hours to hear more of her philosophies!

Gill's book "One Unknown"

To see lots of Molly's thrills and spills, be sure to watch the interview on YouTube under Real Risk Podcast.

For the last episode of the series, I bring you a chat with an extraordinary Australian who is currently dominating in the highly competitive world of rally driving. After winning the Australian Rally Championship in 2016 (as both the youngest competitor and the first female), the hugely skilled and very personable Molly is now finding success in multiple disciplines within the sport.  And she's not to shabby in front of the camera either after starring in the Australian SAS series as well as working as a motor sport commentator. 

Molly's career looks set to go from strength to strength, so I was lucky to catch her before her next big year! 

Check out the video version on YouTube under Real Risk Podcast.
 
The 2019/20 bushfire season in Australia was the worst on record. The first ever recorded "giga-fire" that burnt across multiple states. And Greg Mullins was one of the experts who knew it was coming.

Greg fought his first bush fire as a young lad alongside his father. It was the start of what would become a lifelong career not only fighting bush and structure fires on the front line, but studying the science behind what seemed to be making them worse with every passing decade. In his last position as the Commissioner of NSW Fire and Rescue, nobody could question Greg's expertise.

In this conversation Greg Mullins AO AFSM relates harrowing stories from the fire fronts. But it is his predictions for our future that are really frightening if we fail to immediately act on the impending climate disaster.

For more information Greg's book Firestorm is a well referenced, balanced account from a subject matter expert.

See the video of Carly's interview on YouTube under Real Risk Podcast.

At 24 years of age, Adelaide Muay Thai and Karate expert has already won national and world championships. She is a successful business woman and has a passion for enabling women to be confident, strong and safe on the streets and in life in general. Her latest venture is to promote the prestigious Pride Fight Series with the ultimate goal of seeing the fight card equally balanced with male and female athletes.

In a time where many contact sports are increasingly being scrutinised due to the evolving concerns around Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which can follow repeated minor head injuries, Carly explains why such adversarial contests are still relevant in the modern era. In fact the growth and promotion of mixed martial arts would suggest combat sports have never been more popular.

Whatever your view, Carly is an articulate and intelligent woman, as well as an impressive athlete. Her stories about her life in the sport are fascinating.

Carly's gym www.femalesfightingforward.com.au
Pride Fight Series pridefightseries.com.au

Enjoy the video version on YouTube at Real Risk Podcast.

At the top end of town in motor sports - Formula 1 and MotoGP, the budgets are eye watering. The technology is beyond comprehension and the competition to get a seat or a ride is extraordinary with countless young wannabes vying for a tiny number of opportunities. 

So when the red lights go out and the racing starts, the need for not only speed but also reliability is obvious. A tenth of a second here or there gained through tyre choice or suspension setup will win races. Much of this is in the hands of the crew chief, the person responsible for coordinating the different teams who look after all the different systems and who can also interpret the feedback from the racer.

In motor cycle Formula 1 (the MotoGP), the best of these crew chiefs was Australian Jeremy Burgess.  "JB" looked after some massive names - Randy Mamola, Freddy Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi. JB earn't the nickname "The Kingmaker" through his involvement with over 15 World Championships! It was a delight to chat with one of Adelaide's own who made it big on the world stage.

Check out the video version on YouTube

Like all elite branches of law enforcement or the military, the Water Operations Unit of the South Australian Police demand high standards of fitness, stamina and intelligence in their recruits. More than just divers, the team are police officers first and foremost, conducting their duties at sea and on rivers or other inland waterways. They have a strong presence in search and rescue ops as well as the counterterrorism space.  But the diving is where their unique skills really come to the fore. 

Underwater, they are still potentially working a crime scene. Gathering evidence as small as a bullet casing or a diamond ring; or as large as a car driven into a river. And mostly in the complete darkness of muddy water where they cannot even see a hand in front of their face. Add into the mix the important but grisly job of recovering human bodies, one can see why the team need to have a certain temperament. They are an inspirational and very tight knit team of professionals, replicated in countless cities around the world by others performing the same role .

Check out the video version on YouTube!

Matt Hall can fly pretty much anything from an airforce jet fighter to a composite MXS raceplane in the Red bull air races. This Australian is a third generation pilot from New South Wales. During a high octane career spanning over 35 years, he's learn't a thing or two about risk management as he pushes the envelope just about as far as is humanly possible.

Matt remains the reigning Red Bull air race champion (doesn't hurt that the series stopped during COVID!) and with the promise of a series return in 2022, will be fighting to hold onto the title.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!

Matt Hall Racing HERE
Matt and Red Bull Air race HERE
Matt and a close shave! HERE

Watch the video version of the podcast on YouTube at Real Risk Podcast!

As Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear famously once said: “Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you.”

 An on-site account of the 2003 race by Sports Illustrated writer Franz Lidz called the spectacle "38 Miles of Terror... a test of nerves and speed that may be sport's most dangerous event". 

The event has been held on the remote British island since 1907.  Since the inaugural race, there have been over 255 deaths on the race course . In 2016, five riders died during practice and racing. The worst year was 1970 with 6 deaths.  

Davo Johnson has been called the nicest bloke in the paddock. But he is undeniably effective on the massive bikes that aim to complete the 6 laps of the course at an average speed of over 130mph! Watching the slow motion imagery of these machines airborne over the road crests then missing the stone walling by inches makes me return to my childhood, looking at horror movies through the cracks between my fingers! But Davo takes it all in his stride, finding the thrills and competition completely addictive.

Learn about the race HERE

An in depth  look HERE featuring the unique Guy Martin

Check out the video version of Real Risk Podcast on YouTube.

Craig Challen is a Perth based technical and cave diver who is equally comfortable diving deep shipwrecks and exploring caves. He and your podcast host became friends in the mid 2000's when they discovered a shared passion for exploration, in particular in the niche area of ultra deep caves.  Along with their tight knit friendship group (The Wetmules), they have travelled far and wide in the quest for new finds, developing techniques and technologies along the way.

In this conversation the banter is as thick as the stories are tall. There are stories of adventure and derring-do culminating the Thai Cave Rescue. Enjoy!

Watch the full video interview on You Tube under Real Risk Podcast

Russell Ord (surf photographer extraordinaire) and Shanan Worrall (big wave surfer and water safety expert) are the true definition of watermen. Both of these hardy souls come from the south west of Western Australia where the Indian Ocean swells roll onto the shore at spots like the infamous break known as "The Right".  Both men immersed themselves in every facet of ocean sports from an early age and whilst Shanan continues the search for the ultimate wave, Russell has turned his attention to capturing the beauty of the ocean's motion and the athletes who try to master the massive waves. This has led to a strong friendship between the two, cemented when Shanan nearly drowned at The Right and Russell came to his aid on a jet ski.

Their understated tales of frightening swells, horrific shark attacks and the personal struggles that followed are compulsory listening, and should be an example to us all of how to face your fears, share your worries with mates and how to come back stronger than before.

www.russellordphoto.com
www.sharkeyesglobal.com