The Conversation Today

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In this episode, David Kapernick: Life as a Professional Photographer Part 2, David discusses the impact of A.I. on photography and shares stories behind some of the memorable images he has captured throughout his career—including F18 Super Hornets flying through Brisbane for The River fire Festival and how every year on social media, right on cue, people think it’s A.I. Also a funny story about photographing an escaped bull on a busy Brisbane road.

David also speaks openly about his struggles with substance and alcohol abuse and his journey to sobriety, offering an honest and deeply personal insight into another important chapter of his life.

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In this two part episode, I talk with professional photographer David Kapernick, whose passion for photography began when his dad gave him a Box Brownie camera.

David spent 18 years working at The Courier-Mail in Brisbane, photographing the worlds of sport, music and everyday life. He shares fascinating stories from his career, how well known people deal with fame and explains the composition, lighting and techniques behind some of history's famous photographs.

Join us for a fascinating conversation with David Kapernick and his career behind the lens, capturing life's fleeting moments.

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In this episode, we revisit Bill Fox-Taylor, recorded around three months after our first interview, shortly after Bill had turned 94.

By this stage, Bill’s health had deteriorated, but we still managed to talk about many aspects of his remarkable life, with the help and input of his wife and carer, Hellie.

Bill spoke about his first job as an office boy in the Manchester Corporation Waterworks Department, his time serving in the Royal Air Force, and an extraordinary experience aboard a ship called The Captain Cook, as the captain struggled to enter the Panama Canal during a storm.

There were moments when Bill’s memories were detailed and accurate, while at other times he struggled to find his way through the conversation. He spoke openly about slowing down physically, and the frustration of fading memories and those words that sometimes simply wouldn’t come to him.

Before we begin, I have some sad news to share.

Bill passed away just nine days after this interview.

I feel incredibly privileged to have captured his voice and to have been given the opportunity to share his incredible story with you. His life was full of experiences, memories and stories that deserve to be remembered.

Thank you, Bill, for telling your story and for allowing me to share it with our listeners.

It was an honour.

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In this episode, we meet 93-year-old Bill Fox Taylor, who lives with vascular dementia. Bill has good days and bad, but on the day we recorded this conversation, he was alert, talkative and ready to share memories from an extraordinary life.

Bill takes us back to his childhood in England during the 1930s and 1940s, including his memories of World War II and German planes bombing a small pond near his home, this was exciting for Bill because when it rained the pond was bigger. He recalls his time in the British Air Force in Egypt, where he served as a motor mechanic, the many jobs he had throughout his life, and his move to New Zealand at just 21 years old.

In 1966, Bill illustrated and published a book about Māori architecture called The Māori Builds. He later moved to Australia in the 1980s, where he eventually became a full-time artist and met his wife, Hellie who is 30 years younger than Bill and is now his carer.

Bill also speaks openly about living with dementia—what he can no longer do, the challenges he faces, and why he chooses to focus on the things he still can do.

This is Bill's story, in his own words.

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In the very first episode of The Conversation Today, I talk with Stephanie, who grew up in a small town in California.

Stephanie shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 15-year-old sister in a car accident when she was just six years old, before she was even old enough to fully understand what death meant.

She also opens up about some of the other challenges she has faced throughout her life, including depression, anxiety, an abusive relationship, and a devastating accident in her twenties when she was struck by a car.

The accident left Stephanie with a brain injury affecting her memory, cognition and executive functioning. She talks honestly about the physical and psychological therapy she went through during her recovery and the strategies she now uses to manage everyday life, including lists and other practical workarounds.

Despite everything she has experienced, Stephanie's warmth, determination and resilience shine through in this remarkable conversation.

This is a story of loss, grief, recovery and resilience and of what the human mind, body and spirit can endure.

Jason Devonshire