Speakola

Between 2010 and 2013, Michael Cooney was speechwriter for Australia's 27th Prime Minister, Julia Gillard who was also its first female Prime Minister. Michael has written an excellent book about this experience, called 'The Gillard Project: My Thousand Days of Despair and Hope'. In this episode he talks about what a Prime Ministerial speech writer does, and shares interesting and funny yarns from the coalface of political power, including his trip to Washington for the Prime Minister's meeting with President Obama. 

Episode contains clips from Prime Minister Gillard's address to Congress, her speech at the Gallipoli Dawn Service 2011, The Misogyny Speech, and her remarks on losing the leadership ballot to Kevin Rudd in 2013. 

Michael now works at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers as the General Manager of Public Affairs. 

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Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!

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Andrew Rule is a Gold Walkley winning journalist and author (Underbelly) who grew up on a farm in Gippsland and made his way from The Maffra Spectator to the pinnacles of Australian investigative reporting. His father, Keith, spent his life felling and fashioning timber, and this eulogy is a beautiful ode to a man and his axe. It was written as a feature for The Age in 1998, written as Keith Rule lay in the next room dying, and then adapted slightly to be read at the funeral in Lake Tyers on 27th June 1998. There is no audio of the original speech, so Andrew Rule has re-recorded the speech for this podcast. 

Andrew Rule mentions his colleague Les Carlyon in this chat, and Andrew's eulogy for Les Carlyon is also on Speakola. 

Andrew Rule has a 'Life and Crimes' podcast and I'm the current guest talking footy rogues, 'Black sheep in footy boots'. 

Sign up as a free or paid subscriber to Speakola here.  $5 a month to be a paid subscriber. 

Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons. 

This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. 

Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruth Clare is an Australian author who wrote the award winning memoir 'Enemy — A Daughter's story of how her father brought the Vietnam War home'. She suffered the trauma of domestic violence as a child, and has been talking about trauma for a living since she became a parent herself. She has delivered three TEDx talks: 

If you don't own your stories they'll own you, TEDxYouth@LGS

The pain hiding your true self, TEDxYouth@LGS

The power of Plan B Thinking, TEDxUniMelb (online event)

Ruth talks to Tony about her traumatic childhood, her healing through therapy, the story of her most successful TEDx talk which has had over 100,000 views, and some tips on writing TED talks. She's brilliant! 

Ruth Clare's website. 

Sign up as a free or paid subscriber to Speakola here. If you love what I'm doing in this one-man speeches mission (43 episodes, 7 years of collecting) please become a $5 a month paid subscriber. It's really easy at news.speakola.com.

Thanks also to those who are donors or Patreons. 

This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. 

Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the fifth year running, Tony awards his speeches of the year on Triple R's 'The Grapevine' with Kulya Coulston and Dylan Bird. Thank you to Triple R for the audio.

Listen to The Grapevine on Triple R Mondays 9-12am. They are on break now until 2023.

This is the new hub/community base for Speakola with over 5300 subscribers, and a few of those are paying subscribers. Thanks so much! Signing up here either for free or paid is the best way to help me out. Speakola also has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off.

This is my website for books I've written. There's a 20% discount for paid subscribers at the newsletter.

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Tony has been writing about World Cup, family, general stuff at Good one, Wilson! Sign up for funny and uplifting reading, an email a week to your inbox!

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Laura Lexx is an acclaimed British comedian who has appeared on many television shows ('Roast Battle', 'Mock the Week') and has written a novel 'Pivot' and a bestselling humour book 'Klopp Actually'. Her tweets imagining a steamy yet sensible love affair with Jurgen Klopp lit up Twitter for a weekend in 2020, and scored her a book deal! But this episode is about her real life wedding in 2015 to fellow comedian Tom Livingstone (The Noise next Door) and the excellent bride speech she gave thanking him and her sister. It's a hit on YouTube and Laura is great on the whole question of how to do a bride or groom speech. 

Laura website

Includes audio from this YouTube of Lin Manuel Miranda serenading bride Vanessa with help of friends and family at their wedding. 

The newsletter has a new home! More than 5000 signed up here. If you love what I'm doing in this one-man speeches mission (42 episodes, 7 years of collecting) please become a $5 a month paid subscriber. It's really easy at news.speakola.com.

You can also make straight donations or join Speakola patreon. 

This is Tony's wedding speech to wife Tamsin. '10 Things I Love About You'. 

This episode is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. 

Tony's personal writing blog is Good one, Wilson! 

His books are for sale here

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'Give me your children' is one of the most harrowing and disturbing speeches in history, It was delivered by Chief Elder and Nazi appointed representative of the Jews in the Lodź ghetto, Chaim Rumkowski. In the speech, Rumkowski announces that children under ten, the elderly, and the sick and infirm will be handed over to the Nazis to fulfill deportation demands, in order to save the rest of the ghetto. Holocaust survivor Abram Goldberg was in the ghetto's main square on that terrible day, and heard the speech and the screams of the crowd. In this episode he talks about Rumkowski, the leader's controversial and tarnished reputation, as well as Abram's own incredible story of survival, including a heart breaking promise to his mother at the train station at Auschwitz.

Assisting 97 year old Abram in our interview is Fiona Harris, the co-author of his recent memoir, 'The Strength of Hope' (Affirm Press, 2022). Fiona has written children's books and co-produced and starred in the hit series, 'The Drop Off'.

The reenactment of Rumkowski's speech is voiced by Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Outlander, Game of Thrones for Almeida Theatre's 'Figure of Speech' series. It is on YouTube

Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.

Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. The documentary 'A Film Unfinished' about a Nazi propaganda film in the Warsaw ghetto is excellent.

Tony will share photos and write about his day with Abram and Fiona for his writer blog, Good one, Wilson.

Email comments or ideas to [email protected] 

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The great actor and activist Uncle Jack Charles died in Melbourne on the 13th of September 2022 of a stroke. Five weeks earlier, Speakola's Tony Wilson recorded a chat with him during filming of their AFL Finals promo. Tony had written the words. Jack delivered the voice. During Jack's break, Tony chatted to him about life and career highlights. It was just recorded on a phone, so doesn't have the usual Speakola sound quality. it's a beautiful chat though, typically feisty and irreverent from Uncle Jack. Tony wrote it up for his column /newsletter Good one, Wilson, so it is up there too, with transcript.

There is also a column about Tony writing what he calls his 'Nike poetry'.

Uncle Jack talks about touring with Archie Roach on the Enter the Bloodstream tour and singing Archie's 'We Won't Cry'. That song finishes the episode, recorded at TEDx Sydney, 2017.

Jack Charles was a proud and eloquent Bunurong and Wiradjeri man. RIP.

Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.

Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m. The documentary 'Bastardy' about Jack Charles is on the platform.

Email comments or ideas to [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ted Baillieu was the 46th Premier of Victoria, elected in November 2010. In this episode he talks about this speech he delivered as Leader of the Liberal Party Opposition in February 2009 at a Day of Mourning ceremony for the Black Saturday bushfire victims at Rod Laver Arena. 

Mr Baillieu is an excellent speechwriter and orator, and he shares tips and anecdotes gleaned across a long illustrious career in public life. 

Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing. An email a week, like this one about 'Nike poetry' 

Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.

Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Sign up here for 45 days free on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.

Email comments or ideas to [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author James Button's 2008 eulogy for his politician father John Button was one of the first speeches ever added to Speakola. It's a beautiful speech, full of stories about one of Australia's most significant Labor politicians. It's also a eulogy that has an honesty to it, it talks about John Button's moodiness, his taciturn nature, his absences. But it also demonstrates his intelligence, wit and charisma. There's a sadness in Senator Button's past that James didn't bring up in the eulogy, which he now regrets, as he discusses in the interview. it's a brilliant speech and episode.

James Button's books include Speechless  A Year in My Father's Business and Comeback: the Fall and Rise of Geelong.

Tony's footy books include 1989 The Great Grand Final.

Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing. An email a week, with stories like this one about his son.

Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also we welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.

Spread the speakola word! Tag @byTonyWilson @speakola_ on Twitter facebook and Instagram.

Speakola is sponsored by DocPlay. Get a two week free trial on the world's best documentary streaming site, then if you choose to continue, $7.99/m.

Email comments or ideas to [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Malinauskas is the 47th Premier of South Australia. He gave a terrific victory speech on election night, 19th March 2022, one described by The Australian's literary critic as having 'flawlessly controlled momentum' and reaffirming a belief in democracy. The Premier is a wonderful interviewee and talks about how he wrote the speech, and the importance of victory and concession speeches in the peaceful handover of power in Australia and in democracies generally. And he talks about his footy career with 'the Scum' at University Blacks Adelaide. He's still playing, even as Premier!

Speakola is made entirely by Tony and supported by listeners. There is a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer Tony regular support. Also we welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off. Thanks to Mike Jones, John Groarke, Marjorie Spiller, Alison Johnston and Geoffrey Stump for recent donations.

Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme.

Subscribe to Tony Wilson's 'Good one, Wilson' substack, to receive a weekly taste of his writing.

Spread the speakola word! Tag @byTonyWilson @speakola_ on Twitter facebook and Instagram.

Email comments or ideas to [email protected] 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.