Really Interesting Women

Ep. 54 The Hon. Margaret McMurdo AC

Margaret McMurdo is a true pioneer. She was the first woman to be appointed as a judge of the District Court in Queensland, the first woman in Australia appointed to lead an appellate court (appointed as president of the Queensland Court of Appeal) and all this as she and her husband raised four children. They had to rewrite the rules for her. They weren't contemplating a female judge so legislation had to be quickly amended. In the 90's. The 1990's!

Her advise for young women (and men) is timeless and essential listening.

Her passion for social justice has permeated her career. She co-founded the Women Lawyer’s Association amongst others, and she is patron of Women’s Legal Service, Caxton Legal Service and LawRight’s Civil Justice Fund. In 2017, she was appointed chair of the Board of Governors of Queensland Community Foundation, the state’s largest public perpetual charitable trust. She’s chair of the board of Legal Aid Qld as well as having Chaired the Victorian Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informers...otherwise known as the Lawyer X Royal Commission and since March 2021 has been chairing Queensland’s Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce. And we can only hope that the Qld Attorney General and Premier will adopt all of OM's (Our Margaret's) recommendations.

She was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 and in 2007 was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. 

An extraordinary career that paved the way for many, many others to follow.



Margaret Chairs the Qld Community Foundation and to read and donate to their extraordinary efforts go to:
www.qcf.org.au

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 53   Kirstie Clements

Kirstie Clements was the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia for 13 years. Her career at Vogue was nearly 30 years. It didn't end as she expected but I reckon she's all the better for it. 

She's rubbed shoulders with Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Kylie Minogue, Ian Thorpe, Crown Princess Mary, Cate Blanchett, amongst many others. But you wouldn't know it to chat to her. Very down to earth. Very grounded. Very.......well, normal.

Born and raised in the Sutherland Shire (think Puberty Blues), she discovered punk rock at an early age, moved to Kings Cross to live and it went from there. Well, there were a few steps in between but you get the drift. 

She's now a very successful author, editor, journalist and speaker. And a lot of fun. And I got some well needed fashion tips. So, all good!!

Great advice on how to recover from life's inevitable hurdles and what are the qualities that can lead to a happy and fulfilled life. What more could you want! 

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. 


About the guest
www.kirstieclements.com.au

LinkedIn

Twitter @KirstieClements

Instagram @kirstie_clements
beyond.impressive
Kirstie Clements Official Facebook Page

Her books:
Impressive: How to Have a Stylish Career
The Vogue Factor
Tongue in Chic
In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style
The Australian Women's Weekly: The First 50 Years
Follow the link to her website to purchase.....
https://www.kirstieclements.com.au/books

Her new book: Why Did I Buy That? - out soon

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 52   Shelley Cable

Shelley Cable is a Wilman-Nyoongar woman from Perth and the CEO of Generation One, part of the $2Billion Minderoo Foundation established by Andrew and Nicola Forrest.

Her goal is  is to create parity with and for Indigenous Australians, within one generation through meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities. It's been described as an audacious, challenging, and at times overwhelming goal, but, as she says, ' we strive for it because allowing this disparity to continue is not an option.'

As a young woman she was invited to attend the United Nations and present to the UN's Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She was a delegate to the Uluru Convention on Constitutional Reform which resulted in the Uluru Statement of the Heart.

Shelley Cable is passionate about Indigenous business, economic empowerment and financial inclusion and has been widely recognised for her leadership. With Generation One, she has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

I have no doubt she will.

www.minderoo.org

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 51 Bronte Campbell OAM (Part 2)

Bronte Campbell is an Australian champion. Swimmer and person.  Olympic Gold and World Records in consecutive Games. 

She was good enough to give some more time to RIW so we could catch up and see how everything is going. In quarantine!! She's been doing her pottery and, I imagine, glancing at her gold medal and smiling. Have a look at the photo she took for us on my instagram (@richardinstagraham).

We wish her all the best for the future, whatever that holds. 

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #brontecampbell #olympicgoldmedallist #worldrecordholder #australianolympicswimteam #dolphins 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 50   Louisa Hope

Louisa Hope was the last one out alive from the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney, Australia. She and her mother had both been shot. 

She was the last one out but the first one to decide to turn that experience into a positive. She did that while lying on the pavement in Phillip Street, Sydney, being treated by paramedics. 

Walk with me and Louisa into that cafe and hear it and feel it from an insiders perspective. Experience the worst of humanity.....and the best. 


If you wish to help the Louisa Hope Fund for Nurses, contact Louisa at
www.louisahope.com


#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #louisahope #louisahopefundfornurses #lindtcafe #sydneysiege #hopematters #torijohnson #katrinadawson

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 49 Professor Colleen Hayward AM

When I asked an indigenous CEO of a company in WA if she knew Professor Hayward, she replied, 'Aunty Colleen? Yeah, she's a legend.' And she was right. She is.

Professor Hayward is a senior Noongar woman with extensive family links throughout the south-west of Western Australia.

For more than 35 years, she has provided significant input to policies and programs on a wide range of issues, reflecting the needs of minority groups at community, state and national levels.

She has an extensive background in a range of areas including health, education, training, employment, housing, child protection and law & justice as well as significant experience in policy and management. So her breadth of knowledge and understanding is extraordinary.

Among her many achievements, she has been recognised for her long-standing work for and on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia by winning the 2008 National NAIDOC Aboriginal Person of the Year Award.

I'm always learning and never more so than on this episode. So many things explained in a manner that's understandable but with a an overlay of academia and a generous serving of kindness. 

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #Colleenhayward #auntiecolleen #NAIDOC #resilience #handupnothandout #inspirational #cantbewhatyoucantsee #educationiskey #noongar #ulurustatement #twoworlds #AFLW #Dockers #GWSGiants 
@richardinstagraham

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 48 Dr Anne Aly MP

Anne Aly is an extraordinary woman. Her story is one of utter determination, resilience, love and compassion.

She was a single mum of two small boys and had nothing. No money. No job. But she fought for her boys. Like Carla Zampatti. Like Nanette Carroll. She fought her way out of her problems....and ended up eventually being invited to Barack Obama's White House in an official advisory capacity. And advising the United Nations. And becoming the first woman of Islamic faith to enter Federal Parliament. 

She's brilliant (a Professor with a PhD), she's fun and funny....and tells a great story. 

I love what I'm learning from women like Anne.

About Anne Aly:
www.annealy.com

Her Book:
Finding My Place, is available at
https://www.booktopia.com.au/finding-my-place-anne-aly/book/9780733338489.html

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #annealy #determination #resilience #findingmyplace 
@anne.aly @richardinstagraham #richardinstagraham

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 47 Professor Kathryn North AC 

Professor Kathryn North is one of Australia's leading and most influential physician scientists. Trained as a paediatrician, neurologist and clinical geneticist, Kathryn is recognised internationally for her leadership in genomic medicine and her research into inherited myopathies and genes that influence human muscle performance.

Kathryn's achievements in bringing genomics medicine into clinical practice have transformed the lives of thousands of children across Australia through major innovations in the areas of gene discovery, improved diagnosis and prevention, understanding of disease mechanism and the development and evaluation of novel therapies through clinical trials. She is also leading national and international initiatives focused on genomic data sharing and the implementation of genomic medicine into clinical practice.

She has also studied the Elite Athlete Gene for 25 years. But as yet, it's reproduction is a way off and therefore she was not be able to help me get to the 100M start line of the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia. It was worth asking.

It's an extraordinary dedication with extraordinary results from an extraordinary team at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

www.mcri.edu.au

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #Kathrynnorth #MCRI #genomics #genesequencing #genomicmedecine #breastcancergene #epigenetics #ethics #curingmnd #motorneuronedisease #eliteathletegene #musculardisorders #musculardistrophy 

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 46   Alison Battisson

Alison Battisson is the founder and Director Principal of the organisation, Human Rights For All. Their focus is to ensure basic human rights and humanitarian treatment for refugees and the stateless.  
Most of us have very strong opinions on this topic but realistically -  how many of us actually know what happens from a legal and humanitarian perspective. For example, did you know that in Australia there is no right to legal representation so it's up to organisations like HR4A to work pro bono (free of charge!) to give assistance or the refugees sit there in mandatory detention at the whim of the government. For years and years.
Australia is the ONLY country in the western world which has mandatory detention for people without visas. I'd say normally that we're keeping pretty unusual company in that regard.....but we have no company on this one. No one else treats refugees and asylum seekers like this.
Listening to Alison is an education. I wish it wasn't. If we all new about this I reckon a lot of people would be very upset. Consider this....the family from Sri Lanka who became known as 'The Biloela Family'  were being sent home and were literally in a plane back to Sri Lanka and the public found out what was going on and objected. Vociferously.  The plane was forced to turn around mid flight and return to Australia!
Australia has attracted international condemnation by the UN of its treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. Alison can explain why. It's not conjecture or hear say. It's not even the words of 'informed' social or media commentators. It's from someone who has their 'boots on the ground'. Every day. 


If you want to assist and donate to this cause, go to www.hr4a.com.au and follow the link.

Trigger warning: this episode contains references to self harm and assault

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #alisonbattisson #hr4a #refugees #asylumseekers #UNcondemnation #AJL20 #Biloelafamily

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849

Ep. 45 Heather Ellis

Heather is a motorbike adventurer who survived contracting AIDS in the early 90's. When you didn't.

Her remarkable solo adventures from South to North Africa Africa and then along the silk roads from Western Europe, Russia  and Asia have been captured in her two best selling books (below).

Prior to her silk roads trip she was given the horrendous diagnosis. At that time it was a death sentence. But she chose to take the trek anyway and it became a spiritual journey for her.

It's a tale of remarkable resilience and determination. Can you imagine travelling solo for months with that diagnosis hanging over your head?

Heather's info:
www.heather-ellis.com

Books:
Ubuntu: One Woman’s Motorcycle Odyssey Across Africa
Timeless On The Silk Road 

#Reallyinterestingwomen #RIW #heatherellis #HIV #AIDS #resilience #determination #livelife #silkroad #ubuntu @richardinstagraham

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849