The Wheeler Centre

Paul West, former Vue De Monde chef and host of River Cottage Australia, is a sustainable food advocate – and he wants to show you that you can grow and cook your own food, wherever you are, however much space you have. In this event, West speaks with Hilary Harper about how growing and eating locally has an impact well beyond our backyard.

Hilary Harper and Paul West at the Wheeler Centre

Paul West – ‘Australia’s Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’ – is a homegrown champion in more ways than one.

The former Vue De Monde chef, and host of River Cottage Australia, is a sustainable food advocate – and he wants to show you that you can grow and cook your own food, wherever you are, however much space you have.

For West, growing, cooking and sharing food with your loved ones is a powerful act. ‘It’s personal, local action that empowers us when global problems can leave you feeling powerless.’

The chef, who trained in hatted restaurants, now offers practical advice on everything from building a ‘no dig’ garden, bee-keeping and knife-skills, to simple and delicious recipes for common veggies that you’ve grown yourself, and even throwing a backyard harvest festival. It’s all in his new book, The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide.

In this event, West speaks with Hilary Harper about how growing and eating locally has an impact well beyond our backyard.

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Aunty Kerry Reed-Gilbert was a Wiradjuri poet, elder, editor, educator and a champion of up-and-coming Indigenous writers. When she died in July this year, she'd just completed the manuscript for her memoir, The Cherry Picker’s Daughter. In the book, she tells the story of growing up Aboriginal on the fringes of outback towns in New South Wales. It's a story about poverty, racism and persecution and about the bravery and resilience of Aboriginal women, particularly her father's sister, Aunty Joyce Hutchings, who raised her along with her own children. At this very special event, Jeanine Leane and Timmah Ball come together to celebrate Aunty Kerry's life and legacy.

Jeanine Leane and Timmah Ball at the Wheeler Centre

Aunty Kerry Reed-Gilbert was a Wiradjuri poet, elder, editor, educator and a champion of up-and-coming Indigenous writers. Her contribution to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literary community – and to Australia's rich literary landscape more broadly – is hard to overstate. Aunty Kerry co-founded the First Nations Australian Writers Network (FNAWN) and edited many indispensable books of Indigenous poetry and prose.

When Aunty Kerry died in July this year, she'd just completed the manuscript for her memoir, The Cherry Picker’s Daughter. In the book, she tells the story of growing up Aboriginal on the fringes of outback towns in New South Wales. It's a story about poverty, racism and persecution and about the bravery and resilience of Aboriginal women, particularly her father's sister, Aunty Joyce Hutchings, who raised her along with her own children.

At this very special event, Jeanine Leane and Timmah Ball come together to celebrate Aunty Kerry's life and legacy.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this edition of our Not Racist, But series, Santilla Chingaipe, Roxanne Moore, Tamar Hopkins and Fiona McLeod explore how racial discrimination and bias play out on a daily and inter-generational basis in Australia. They look at racial data collection, too, and how sensationalist media reporting can skew perception, politics and policy.

Santilla Chingaipe, Roxanne Moore, Tamar Hopkins and Fiona McLeod at the Wheeler Centre

In this edition of our Not Racist, But series, we discuss racial bias in the criminal justice system – from policing and legal aid to jury selection and sentencing.

Indigenous Australians account for just 2% of our country’s overall population and more than a quarter of our adult prison population. How, specifically, is this a function of explicit and structural racism across various facets of our enforcement and justice systems? And how are all non-white Australians – especially those from refugee backgrounds – disadvantaged when interacting with police and with the courts?

In this discussion, host Santilla Chingaipe and the panel explore how racial discrimination and bias play out on a daily and inter-generational basis in Australia. They look at racial data collection, too, and how sensationalist media reporting can skew perception, politics and policy.

With lawyer and Accountability Round Table Chair Fiona McLeod; Noongar woman, lawyer and NATSILS Executive Officer Roxanne Moore; and FKCLC Police Accountability Project founding lawyer Tamar Hopkins.

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Alistair Baldwin speaks with disability activist Jess Walton and Get Krack!n co-creators Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney, discussing inclusion and accessibility in the second series of the show. Presenterd

Alistair Baldwin, Jess Walton, Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan at the Wheeler Centre — Photo: Sophie Quick

Finally, Australian comedy is seeing a broader range of voices represented in writers’ rooms, on screen and behind the scenes. It’s making our entertainment funnier and sharper – and it’s enhancing its appeal for more Australians.

For Season Two of Get Krack!n co-creators Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney made inclusion and accessibility a production and creative focus. They co-wrote Episode Three, the Kates’ ‘one-day-of-the-year 30-minute International Day of People Living with a Disability special’, with disability activist Jess Walton and included artists like Adam Hills, Deaf performers Anna Seymour and Ashleigh Kedge and the musicians from The Sisters of Invention.

In this discussion, hosted by Alistair Baldwin and presented in partnership with The Other Film Festival, we speak with artists who worked on that hilarious and game-changing series. What was the process in the writers’ room and how did producers create an accessible production environment for all artists, cast and crew? What did they learn, what will they improve in future production processes and how can the screen sector, more broadly, go about making space for people who have not traditionally been represented across, and behind, our screens?

Presented in partnership with The Other Film Festival and Arts Access Victoria with the support of City of Melbourne and Screen Australia.

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Hosted by Hella Ibrahim, the author of White Tears/Brown Scars, Ruby Hamad, is joined at the Wheeler Centre by Arrernte activist and social commentator Celeste Liddle for a discussion about what happens when racism and sexism collide.

Hella Ibrahim, Ruby Hamad and Celeste Liddle at the Wheeler Centre

In 2018, Sydney journalist Ruby Hamad wrote an article for the Guardian that touched a nerve with readers around the world. The article, ‘How white women use strategic tears to silence women of colour,’ was about the special and dangerous claims white women make to victimhood – in the workplace, in public debate, and in private interactions – and how these adversely affect and are wielded against women of colour.

The ‘damsel in distress’ tactic, Hamad wrote, is employed ‘to muster sympathy and avoid accountability, by turning the tables and accusing the accuser.’

She has since adapted the article into a new book, White Tears/Brown Scars. Hosted by Hella Ibrahim, Hamad is joined at the Wheeler Centre by Arrernte activist and social commentator Celeste Liddle for a discussion about what happens when racism and sexism collide.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.