Former medical doctor and now CEO of The Rites of Passage Institute, Dr Arne Rubinstein has spent over 30 years facilitating transitions for boys and men. And yesterday, he was announced as Australian Father of the Year 2025 by The Fathering Project and Australian Fathers Day Council.

Maggie chatted with Arne in Season 1 of The Good Enough Dad, so we thought it was timely to revisit their conversation, which explored not only what Arne has learnt from the many thousands of fathers and kids he's worked with over the years, but what he's learnt from his own experience of being a dad to his own two sons. 

Congratulations to Arne and to all the other dads, father figures and workplaces who were honoured at this year’s awards. 

LINKS: To see the full  list of recipients, go to australianfatheringawards.org.au

Arne Rubinstein on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/arnerubinstein/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctorarnerubinstein/ and Rites of Passage https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/  

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Trent Dalton is a two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and internationally bestselling author whose work has touched hearts around the world. But behind the accolades lies a childhood marked by immense hardship—substance abuse, domestic violence, parental separation and poverty.

But Trent turned pain into prose. His debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe—a semi-fictionalised take on his childhood—became a literary sensation and later Netflix’s most successful Australian-made series. His 2021 non-fiction work, Love Stories, was adapted for the stage and will tour in late 2025, around the same time his next novel, Gravity Let Me Go, is set for release.

Trent doesn’t shy away from the gritty and uncomfortable, but what sets him apart is his unwavering belief in beauty, love and hope—something he often credits to his wife of 25 years, journalist Fiona Franzmann. They now live in Brisbane with their daughters, Beth and Sylvie.

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Sean Abbott is part of Australia’s cricket team, which means he spends a LOT of his working life away from home.

A standout fast bowler, Sean made his professional debut at just 18 and has gone on to become one of the top performers in Australian cricket. From dominating the domestic scene to helping Australia win the 2023 World Cup, he's faced up to  some of the best batters in the game. And while he’s known for his bowling, he’s no slouch with the bat—once scoring a blistering century in just 41 balls.

But while he’s achieving success in his career he’s also juggling family life with his wife Brier, three-year-old daughter Ella and baby Arlo. And he’s very aware of the sacrifices he and his family are making as he thoughtfully navigates the terrain of being a good-enough dad and a world-class athlete.

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It was three weeks before Tim Curtis met his first-born child, emerging from the jungle to discover his wife had gone into labour early. Tim is a former member of the Special Air Service Regiment or SAS, and was Australia’s first principal advisor to the government of Sierra Leone during their civil war when his son was born. Tim has also served in Afghanistan and Iraq. When he had three children under six, Tim was lead planner of the Afghan parliamentary elections. Balancing family life with such intense environments, Tim has learnt some valuable lessons about fatherhood and resilience.

Find Tim’s new book Building Resilient Kids here: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781761772078/

Find The Resilience Shield here: https://resilienceshield.com/

Listen to Tim’s podcast the Unforgiven 60 here: https://unforgiving60.podbean.com/

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When many people think of the Fremantle Dockers, one name often comes to mind—Shaun McManus. A cornerstone of the inaugural team in 1995, Shaun went on to play 228 games for the club, co-captain for a time, and became only the second player to reach 200 games in Dockers history.

These days, he’s just as well known for his role behind the microphone as part of Perth’s beloved Nova breakfast show, Nathan, Nat and Shaun. Over his career Shaun and his wife Meegan had four children: three sons, Lachlan 23, Cooper 19, Oliver 17 and their daughter Sunny who’s 14.

Shaun is honest about when he’s stuffed up raising his children but embraces the lessons he’s learnt along the way.

Shaun refers to the Kai-Fella foundation in this interview. Find more about Kai-Fella at their website https://kaifella.com.au/ 

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Professional surfing legends Adrian “Ace” Buchan and Glenn “Micro” Hall join Maggie Dent to reflect on their journeys — not just through waves, but through fatherhood. Adrian, who spent 16 years on the World Surf League tour and twice defeated Kelly Slater, now serves as chair of Surfing Australia. Glenn, a former pro who has become one of the sport’s most respected coaches, shares his experience balancing career and family life.

Together, they explore the parallels between surfing and parenting — resilience, presence, identity — and what the ocean continues to teach them as dads raising the next generation.

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Dr Billy Garvey is an expert in children, working as a specialist in one of the world’s largest tertiary pediatric hospitals, and receiving a Churchill Fellowship. He’s the co-host of the Pop Culture Parenting podcast and author of 10 Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental Health. But Billy is the first to admit that being a paediatrician doesn’t mean you’ve got parenting down pat.

Listen to Pop Culture Parenting here:https://www.guidinggrowingminds.com/ 

Find Billy’s book 10 Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental Health here: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/ten-things-i-wish-you-knew-about-your-childs-mental-health-9781761345838 

Follow Billy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbillygarvey/ 

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Australians might know Jamie Durie best for his incredible backyard makeovers and landscaping artistry, but Jamie is also a fierce environmentalist, winning an OAM for his services to the environment and Australian design. He’s also a loving dad to Taylor 30, Beau almost 3 and Nash 2. Parenting has changed a lot between the births of his first and last child. Maggie shares some encouraging wisdom about how parents can create attachment regardless of parenting styles and trends.

Find out more about Growing Home with Jamie Durie here: https://www.growinghomewithjamiedurie.com.au

Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jamiedurie/

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Cameron Daddo’s career has spanned everything from hosting Perfect Match, to acting and working with directors like David Lynch, to writing books, making music, advocating for mental health and presenting podcasts. He and wife Alison Brahe-Daddo have three adult kids. Cameron reflects on the lessons he’s learnt as his kids grew up, including one critical piece of advice  from his own dad during a moment of crisis.

Listen to Cameron & Ali’s podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-heart-of-it/id1463023422

Check out My Men’s Team here: https://www.mymensteam.org/ 

Find Cameron’s book, Keep It Smooth, here: https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au/books/keep-it-smooth-by-cameron-daddo/9780645869088 

Follow Cameron on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerondaddo

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