Elayne Tukuafu grew up being called "plastic" for not speaking her Tongan language. But as she moved through life, she reflected on how to stay connected to your culture and family in other ways — like continuing cultural traditions with creativity.

Elayne traces how Pacific identity is shaped through everyday acts of listening, remembering and passing knowledge between generations. The conversation moves between home, migration and creativity, revealing how language can be both a shelter and a responsibility.

Elayne, the wearable art designer behind family-owned business Talavou, speaks with care and honesty on the power of language, family memory and cultural continuity.

This episode centres on what it means to hold culture gently, and to carry it forward with intention.

Listen to the conversation with Stories From the Pacific presenter Bobby Macumber on ABC Radio Australia.

Jasmine McGaughey is a proud Torres Strait Islander and African American writer and editor.

She's the beloved co-author of tennis legend Ash Barty's Little Ash series, inspiring young readers right across the country. And her latest work, Moonlight and Dust, is a young adult fantasy novel that blends culture, identity and magic in a way only she can.

Jasmine brings a powerful cross-cultural perspective to Australian literature — and her voice is fast becoming one to watch.

She sits down with Stories From The Pacific host, Bobby Macumber, on Radio Australia.

Quayd Purcell Ah You is a third-generation cultural practitioner and aspiring creator from La’ie, Hawai’i.  

Growing up under the famous Ah You name meant navigating intense family pressure to follow the sporting path, but Quayd found his own voice on stage at the Polynesian Cultural Center. 

Today, he uses dance, humour and social media content to carve a path of creativity and acceptance, inspiring young Pacific people to find balance between their culture, faith and identity. 

Quayd speaks to Bobby Macumber in this episode of Stories From The Pacific on ABC Radio Australia. 

Flora Vano grew up drawing courage from stories and from the women who shaped her. Later, she learned the unforgiving arithmetic of cyclones; what happens when winds rise, communications fail, and care becomes a community’s lifeline.  

Today, as the country manager for ActionAid Vanuatu, Flora leads women across the islands in transforming disaster preparedness into collective power. 

In this episode of Stories From the Pacific, host Wendy Mocke meets the organiser who listens first, the advocate amplifying village voices, and the neighbour who always shows up when the lights go out.  

It’s a conversation about fortitude, leadership and the future women are building in the Pacific: one training, one network, and one storm at a time. 

Listen now on ABC Radio Australia. 

Fipe Preuss is wired for the leap. At 16 she skydived without telling her parents, then learned to find calm midair, underwater, and in rooms full of people. That is the person we are meeting, the risk taker and community maker, who later co-founded Living Koko, a Melbourne chocolate company working with small-plot Samoan farmers to turn fair-priced cacao into small-batch chocolate, drinking cacao and teas.  

Stories From The Pacific’s host Wendy Mocke speaks with Phoebe (Fipe) about her roots, the leaps that shaped her, and the future she wants on the ground. 

Listen to this episode on ABC Radio Australia. 

He ran out in the front row for New Zealand, pulled on the red jersey for Tonga, and battled in the scrums of France — but it was his hair that made him a global icon.

Tevita Mailau's legendary "horsey" haircut became part of rugby folklore: tugged at in scrums, turned into memes, and imitated by fans around the world. What most people didn't know was that even then, off the field, Tevita was the team barber, shaping fades and fixing up teammates long before he ever owned a shop.

Today, Tevita runs a thriving barbershop in Caboolture, Queensland, mentors young players, and believes hair is far more than a look. It's confidence. It's culture. It's community.

On ABC Radio Australia, presenter Bobby Macumber unpacks the story of a front-rower whose legacy goes well beyond the pitch and whose clippers are now as powerful as his scrum.

Listen to the latest episode of Stories From the Pacific.

Willy Missack is an inspiring changemaker from Tanna, Vanuatu, whose work has reached far beyond his island home. As a PhD candidate at Victoria University of Wellington and founder of Learn to Serve: Vanuatu, Willy empowers young people to tackle climate and community challenges head-on.

His journey has taken him from remote villages to royal recognition, including an award from Queen Elizabeth II.

In this episode of Stories From The Pacific, host Bobby Macumber dives into how it all began, what drives him to keep creating change across the Pacific, and the lessons he's learned along the way.

🎧 Tune in to ABC Radio Australia for an incredible story of leadership, belief and impact.

Kalafi Moala is a Tongan journalist, editor, and founder of the Times of Tonga newspaper, a publication dedicated to holding power to account and giving voice to the people.

His fearless reporting brought him into direct conflict with the Tongan government, leading to his imprisonment and eventual deportation from his own country. But Kalafi never gave up. He was later cleared of all charges, allowing him to return home.

But there's more to Kalafi than his fight for a free press — after studying in New Zealand, he became a Christian missionary, travelling to Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea.

In this episode of Stories From the Pacific on ABC Radio Australia, he shares his journey, the challenges of journalism in the Pacific, and what it takes to stand up for democracy and the truth in the face of adversity.

Samuel Gaskin is a Melbourne-based musician, composer, and creative producer whose work is transforming the arts.  

With roots in Aotearoa and Nigeria, Samuel has moved beyond chasing stardom to create spaces where communities feel seen, safe, and celebrated. His award-winning works Reckoning and Aunty have redefined representation on stage, blending ancestral knowledge with pop culture flair. 

In this episode of Stories From the Pacific on ABC Radio Australia, join host Bobby Macumber as she explores Samuel’s commitment to joy, healing and unapologetic visibility, and discover how his art is reshaping conversations around identity and inclusion. 

To understand Yvonne Ueda's journey is to picture the weaving of a chedecholl mat — each strand a story, each imperfection a source of strength. 

Her life has been shaped by preparation, patience, and partnership: from a winding educational path marked by setbacks, to discovering identity through motherhood, faith, and community. 

Today, she leads conservation projects in Palau with The Nature Conservancy, inspires young people through her church, and tends to her own farm: a dream she hopes will one day become her full-time calling.

Listen to Yvonne's conversation with Stories From The Pacific, host Bobby Macumber on ABC Radio Australia.