Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island

Polish-Australian Felicia Jedrasiak spent her teenage years in a German concentration camp and working as forced labour on a soldier's farm. Yet her life has been full of so much joy. Mrs Jay has lived an extraordinary life. From the tiny village of Ruda Różaniecka in Poland, to Majdanek concentration camp, and a refugee camp in Italy where she found her life love, before making her way to Cabramatta in Sydney's west. Felicia's son Peter, my cousin, also jumps in on this episode to help join some dots. 

Reece Hignell has a lifelong love of food. In particular, his Nan's cakes. Reece's passion took him to Australian MasterChef twice, and more recently to open his own bakery, Cakeboi in Newcastle. While people are travelling from across the country to nab one of Reece's cakes, I'm fortunately, or unfortunately if you ask my retired athlete body, just a couple of blocks away. 

Di Pass has spent the last 20 years recruiting people for jobs, including the 12,000 people who worked at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  She was also one of the first people to believe enough in me to sponsor me. 

Alex McKinnon was an up and coming 22 year old rugby league first grader when his life changed in one infamous tackle. The spinal injury he suffered, meant no more footy and life in a wheelchair. We chat parenting with a disability, finding your place in life post sporting career and reflect on what its like as a wheelchair user in Australia.

Peter V'Landys loved horse racing and rugby league, sports followed by millions of Australians. As an administrator the goal was to contribute to one. Then he was appointed to roles in both, working concurrently in two of the highest profile sports administration jobs in the country. When Covid hit V'Landys applied what he'd learnt in horse racing to rugby league with the NRL one of the first sports worldwide to operate in this global pandemic. 

Have you ever wanted to quit your day job and follow your passion? David 'Jimmy' Cox did this a couple of years ago and now has a successful microbrewery in Dungog.       

Dan Ilic is prolific. In front of the camera and at the mic, behind the camera, producing and directing, writing and performing. But Dan's Aussie story is more than his work and it was wonderful to get his take on what it means to be an Australian.

Today is Australia Day. My thoughts around this day have changed over the last couple of decades, even more so in recent years. I know people have differing relationships with this day and what it means to be Australian. It's complicated. Here are a few snippets from previous guests diving into the premise of Tiny Island, about what it means to them to be Australian.

I spent close to six months a year and four of the previous five elections in the US when I was racing, so have a healthy interest in what's happening across the Pacific. ABC journalist Matt Bevan shares my interest-and passion-so it was great to sit down for a yarn about the current state of affairs and what impact the Trump years have had on our Tiny Island.

Who has set a 2021 diet or weight loss resolution? I'd be lying if I said it wasn't bouncing through my head when 1 January clicked over. Well, our guest this week is Alicia Edge the Co-Founder/CEO and Principal Dietitian at Compeat Nutrition. Compeat Nutrition utilises an innovative service platform to educate, support and empower people to their version of life.  performance - redefining the role of nutrition in the lives is athletes and everyday people.

On the back of four first class matches, Nathan Lyon was thrown in the deep end to bowl for the Australian test cricket team. He's now the third highest Australian test wicket taker in history. But his two greatest moments in the green and gold don't involve a ball or a bat. Tune in to learn what they have been and hear more from an unsung Australian sporting champ.

Malcolm Turnbull is a man who never sits still. From tech startups, high profile law cases, running cattle or running Australia as Prime Minister, his life has been varied and colourful. There have only been 30 Prime Minister's of Australia so it is always an honour to sit down and have a yarn with one.

Winner of three of the four tennis majors in singles. Winner of all four in doubles. World number one in both... Five times Davis Cup winner  as a player, once as captain. One of our best ever tennis players and fighting with Merv Hughes for all-time best mo... John Newcombe is an Aussie legend and it was a pleasure to share some time to talk tennis, Australia and life.

What's it like to represent your country at an Olympic Games and World Championship but not be known to almost all of the population? Welcome to the life of aerial skier, Sam Wells. Sam represented Australia at two Winter Olympics before retiring from her sport in 2018. Her journey from self confessed average gymnast with a major injury, to Olympian is bloody great. 

We all know Paul Hogan threw the shrimp on the barbie, but who got Bob Hawke to buy the prawns? Former Federal Minister John Brown was the man who sold the beauty of  Australia to the US in the 1980s and helped Sydney secure the 2000 Olympics. Beyond his Parliamentary career, John and his Sport and Tourism Youth Foundation, helped hundreds of Australians, including me, to follow their talents and dreams on national and international stages. 

When I was racing, every year I would treat myself to a cut-throat shave at a New York City barber on the 1st of Movember. Not for the 0.1 of a second aerodynamic advantage in the marathon two days later, but to kick-start my annual mo growth, helping to raise awareness and sometimes funds, for Movember, the leading charity changing the face of men's health. This Movember, I've pulled together three segments from previous episodes which deep-dive into some of the focus areas of Movember - in particular, mental health and suicide, and testicular cancer. If you haven't listened to my yarns with Osher Gunsberg, Drew Duggan and Craig Hamilton, this week's ep will give you a taste of their broader discussions. If you have, listen to this weeks ep again as a reminder of their stories and what we can do to help ourselves and others, and tell a mate about it too. We deep dive in these chats so a reminder if you're ever worried that someone's life is in immediate danger, call 000 or go directly to emergency services.

It's Movember, a cause close to my heart and one I've supported for more than a decade. This week I get to talk with a Mo Bro and good mate, Drew Duggan, who has battled one of the key areas Movember supports - testicular cancer.

A sporting career is finite but there's life either side to consider for all athletes. For elite sportswomen wanting to start a family, it's even more complex. For an Olympian in a contact sport, next level. Welcome to the life of 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallist in women's rugby 7s, Alicia Quirk. 

  I recently had former Managing Director of the ABC on the pod where we spoke about the current state of Australian media. This episode was an opportunity to hear from someone who has sat on the other side of the fence, John Hartigan, former Chair and CEO of News Limited. John has sat in many chairs and our paths have crossed on the board of Paralympics Australia and in our work with the Indigenous Marathon Project. 

Sometimes we need a voice to fight for a cause when we are silenced. Sister Diana Santleben has been that voice, a very loud one at that, for hundreds of refugees and other Australians throughout her life. A wonderful member of my community in Newcastle, Sister Di is a cracking Aussie.