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.