Fiona shares the stories of her childhood, growing up in Northern Ireland during the civil war known as The Troubles. Her life was on a steady path of fitting into the expectations set out for Irish Catholic women in the 1980 and 90s, until she went to Uni in Dublin and met a lovely girl from Australia. This friendship opened up the possibilities of the world to Fiona, and with some action and courage on her part, she changed the trajectory of her life.

Fiona now calls Melbourne home. She is a celebrant for funerals and weddings and has a podcast called Deadly Serious Conversations. Through her work, she noticed that people in Australia often aren’t talking about death, dying and legacy, and so may not know where to start when they lose a loved one. She has created a wonderful library of episodes that looks at all different aspects of death and dying with kindness, respect and compassion. Let’s find out how she got into the tender work of funerals.

This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production with host Nina Fromhold. 

Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia. 

Kate is an innovative scientist who notices the systems in the natural world and applies this thinking to technology that supports people and communities. She is an entrepreneur with a med-tech start-up under her belt that achieved awards and grants for seven years, for technology advancement. During that time, her company raised more than $20 million in capital for technology development. Now Kate supports other Australian start-ups to find a pathway to the market. She talks with us about growing up in New Zealand, exploring the world in her twenties, taking risks, raising her sons and pursuing a life of research, knowledge and adventure. Kate says in the podcast, "Our greatest asset is our brain". Thank you Kate for inspiring us with your refreshing perspective on life.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production with host Nina Fromhold.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

When I Was Young features Mathan Ratinam who shares his early life story in Sri Lanka, of being persecuted during the civil war, and immigrating to Australia to discover a whole new world. Mathan's teen years in the 1980s in Perth, learning English from TV shows like MacGuyver and the A Team. Discovering his tribe at Hip Hop concerts and later in Drum and Bass. Mathan studied architecture and worked at some outstanding studios in London and New York before switching his focus towards working on wicked social problems like poverty and social injustice. Mathan has worked with the UN and the World Bank, and he is now working in Aboriginal Youth Justice in Victoria, contributing to better justice outcomes for young people.
Mathan beautifully articulates the full-circle moments of his life that have been the fire behind his impressive career. This is an interview that you will not forget. Thank you Mathan for sharing your incredible story.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production with host Nina Fromhold.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

When I Was Young features Merita Tabain who shares her journey as the child of new immigrants, growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 1960s and 70s. Merita's story starts with the painful experience of being seen as different at school and moves into the mind-blowing moments of seeing the Sex Pistols on Count Down and discovering Australia's alternative music scene in the 1970s. With all the courage and grit of punk, as a young adult Merita pursued her dreams of travel, higher education and journalism. Over time her career moved into leadership roles in government and emergency management, something her young self never knew would be open to her. It all fits with her belief that "You don't know what life has in store for you", so she tries to appreciate what she has each day.
Thank you to Merita for sharing this heart-warming story.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production with host Nina Fromhold.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

In this episode Dr Trishima Mitra-Kahn shares her early experiences of family violence and how this set her on a path to research the sociology question, 'Why do some people use violence?'. Come with us as we walk through Trishima's childhood and early adult years in New Delhi, London, and now in Melbourne. Trish is a remarkable person who has spent her whole career working towards a goal of eliminating all forms of family violence. She is now the Chairperson of Body Safety Australia and a Group Director with Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre where she continues to use research and evidence to inform this critical work.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production. Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia. Music licensed through PremiumBeat. Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

In this episode Nina interviews Pat who shares the story of his early life growing up in Frankston North. When Pat was a young lad this was a very working-class town, full of commission homes, outside Melbourne, Australia. Pat's story is set in the 1960s and 70s and is very much a story of the Aussie battler. With his sharp wit and intelligence and a keen love of sport, Pat was able to gain a broader view of the world, and set himself on a path out of his low socio-economic roots. Enjoy Pat's story as he shares the hardships, triumphs, wisdom and wonderful people that helped him on his way.
Thank you to Pat for sharing this treasure of a story.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production. Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia. Music licensed through PremiumBeat. Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

In this episode Nina interviews Kabinga Mazaba, International Bestselling Author and Inspirational Speaker. Kabinga takes us back to her early life in Zambia where we talk about her experiences of marriage customs, funeral customs and property grabbing in Zambia, as well as her childhood experiences of love, family, loss and sexual abuse. Then Kabinga shares her journey with her husband and children as they establish themselves first in Scotland and then in Australia, while working through her healing journey and inspiring those around her to rewrite their stories.
We thank Kabinga and invite you to enjoy her story. Kabinga Mazaba is the author of C.O.N.F.R.O.N.T. Reclaim Your Life, available at all great booksellers. To learn more about Kabinga visit her website.
This is a Memory Lane Life Stories production. Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia. Music licensed through PremiumBeat. Design by Pass the Salt Studio.

This episode of When I Was Young features Vivienne Nguyen, Victoria's Multicultural Commissioner. Vivienne talks about her early years in Vietnam during the Vietnam/American war, travelling as a refugee first to Malaysia and then onto Australia, living and studying in Melbourne as a young adult, and how she found her feet in both the Vietnamese and broader Victorian communities. Vivienne's journey led her to become a powerful voice advocating for multicultural communities in Victoria. 
We invite you to enjoy Vivienne's story of her younger years.
Please like or follow the podcast to hear more stories.
Thanks to my guest Vivienne Nguyen for sharing her story.
Recorded at the Narrm Ngarrgu library in Melbourne, Australia.
Music licensed through PremiumBeat.
Design by Pass the Salt.